The Rise and Fall of King Scar
by Niche Eenhoorn
Summary: The Pride Lands didn't become barren the moment that Mufasa died and Scar assumed the throne. So, in this story, I try to cover what happened between the period of Scar's time as King, and Simba's return. Sequel to my previous fic, "The Broken Legacy". Cover image belongs to Unicorn, image used with his permission.
1. Dangerous Curiosity

**FOREWORD**

Just a few author's notes to begin with**:**

- This story is heavily based on my previous story, "Mufasa and Scar: The Broken Legacy", so I recommend that you read that one first, to prevent confusion.

- This story is **NOT** canon with the "TLK Six New Adventures" stories, so some names and situations will be different, mainly the names of Scar's parents, Scar's own real name, and the way he got his scar. (Again, for a more detailed explanation on this, please read the first fanfic.)

- I am not a native English speaker. Though I've tried my best, if the grammar or sentence construction is still wonky, I apologize in advance. Comments, suggestions and feedback are very much welcome!

_- Disclaimer:_ This work is based on Walt Disney's film "The Lion King". Elements and characters taken from this movie are property of Walt Disney, I don't take any credit, and no profit is made out of this story.  
>Any character that you don't recognize from the movie was made up by me. If you would like to use them for a story of your own, just drop me a note. :)<p>

Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the story!

**The Rise and Fall of King Scar**

_Chapter 1_

**Dangerous Curiosity**

It was a beautiful, sunny day at the African plains. A herd of gazelles had gathered around the waterhole. They had decided to stop and rest for a short moment, taking turns to drink, while the rest remained on the lookout for nearby predators. The wind blew slightly every now and then, creating a gentle, cooling breeze that the gazelles welcomed gratefully.

The herd looked up in alarm as they detected movement in the distance, but relaxed considerably when they realized it was King Mufasa. The lion was not on the prowl; he was simply doing his usual rounds, making sure that the borders of his territory were clearly defined, to warn intruders against trespassing.

The King greeted the gazelles as he walked by, and breathed in deeply, feeling rather content. He had good reasons to feel that way; the lionesses of his Pride were happy and well fed, and the rest of the animals looked up to him with respect. He had done a good job as a King so far, maintaining the delicate balance of the Circle of Life, working with other leaders within his territory to keep order and peace. He also looked forward to teaching his young cub, Simba, how to take care of this Kingdom, that one day would be his to rule.

Mufasa's life was quite stable at the moment; perhaps the only thing that tainted his happiness was the presence of his brother Hatari, who went nowadays by the nickname of Scar.

It was not that Mufasa didn't love his brother, but Scar's attitude towards the birth of Simba had him worried. Scar had never expressed out loud any desire to become a King, except one time, when they were younger. The former King, Thembi, was teaching Mufasa how to be a good leader and had made a comment stating that Scar would never be a good king, not knowing that Scar was listening in. Mufasa could remember that that remark had stung his younger brother deeply. Further than that, Mufasa could not recall any other occasion in which Scar mentioned wanting to become a King. His reaction to the birth of Simba, however, told Mufasa otherwise. Perhaps deep inside, Scar did want to become a king, and now Simba had destroyed any chance he might have had.

Mufasa shook his head for a moment and concentrated again on his son. After all, despite Scar's initial reaction towards the Prince, he now seemed to have come to terms with Simba's presence, behaving polite and civil towards the cub.

Mufasa could not have been more wrong, though. Scar desired the throne more than anything, mostly to prove his father wrong. But as of lately, Scar had also noticed how everyone admired and respected Mufasa, and Scar couldn't help but picture himself on his older brother's place. Mufasa had always had everything he wanted, and lived a pampered childhood. Scar had nothing of the sort, being despised by his own father, which was another thorn dug deeply into his heart. Consumed by hurt and jealousy, Scar had been plotting a way to seize the throne.

At the moment, there was no one at Pride Rock except for Scar, who was resting on the southern ledge of the pride's lair. He was lying down, resting his chin on his paws, looking thoughtful. He had managed to earn Simba's trust, which was a vital part of his plan. This also meant that the cub would pester him every now and then, so for now, Scar was enjoying the calm and quiet afternoon.

It had been a few days ago since he last visited the hyenas at the elephant graveyard. Scar had three good hyena friends, Shenzi, Banzai and Fedha, or Ed for short. He used to bring them food often, after their mother died and they were too young to fend for themselves properly. But Shenzi and Banzai, being adults now, had become more skilled at hunting and they didn't need Scar's help to survive. Ed had never learned to hunt properly, due to a violent encounter with the former king, which left him mentally impaired. But his two siblings took good care of him.

The hyenas would never say no to a special treat from their lion friend, though, and would brighten up considerably whenever Scar popped by for a visit.

However, Scar had no plans to go to the graveyard today. The heat was getting to him, so instead he decided to go to the waterhole to quench his thirst.

He stood up and stretched, digging his claws in the soil as he did so. He climbed down the ledge and off Pride Rock, and made his way to the waterhole, glancing as he walked towards the lionesses that were still lounging not far away from where he was.

He spotted Sarafina and the queen Sarabi sitting together, keeping a close eye on their cubs, Simba and Nala. The rest of the pride would go hunting soon, but the sun had made them drowsy, and from what Scar could catch of their conversation, they were procrastinating a little bit, and would go hunt during sunset instead, as it was bound to be cooler then.

Scar looked around for Karanga, the former queen and the lioness who raised him as her own son. She was nowhere to be seen, but neither were her daughters, so he assumed that she was out there giving them hunting lessons in private. The two young lionesses were growing up and would soon start joining the hunting sessions, if all went well. This meant Karanga would spend a lot of time with her daughters, but she always made sure to give Scar his own share of attention whenever she returned.

Scar bent down to drink and pricked his ears as he noticed one of the lionesses approaching him quietly. It was Ndani, one of the few lionesses who didn't mind striking up a random conversation with him.

"Hello," he said, looking up. The lioness's head hung low, and she looked rather sad, nothing unusual for Ndani, who according to her pride-mates, always had something to mope about.

"Hey, Scar," she replied and sat next to him, bending over to drink some water as well.

"You look sad... Did they exclude you from the hunting party again?" he ventured to ask.

Ndani had made one too many mistakes while hunting in the past, which had led the lionesses to place her on guard duty back at Pride Rock, more often than not. But she shook her head this time.

"No, it's not that. Actually Sarabi even said I was getting better," she replied, smiling at him slightly.

Scar chuckled. "So what's the problem, then?"

Ndani sighed. "It's one of my friends, you know, from the Outlands. She went and got herself knocked up by this rogue, and now she's feeling terrible. We're kinda worried about her."

Scar raised an eyebrow. "I thought your friends said they didn't need male lions?"

Ndani couldn't help but chuckle. "She wasn't very excited about it, I tell ya, but what do you reckon, that's the price to pay if ya wanna have cubs..."

Scar nodded and drank some more, lapping at the water thoughtfully.

"She's been feeling really sick lately," Ndani went on, "Never seen anything like it with the lionesses from our Pride. I just hope she'll be okay."

"You should talk to Rafiki," Scar suggested, "the old monkey might have something to help your friend feel better."

Ndani nodded. "Good idea. I think I'll also do as you did with the hyenas, and bring her something to eat. She's in no state to hunt, that's for sure."

"Speaking of the hyenas," Scar said, "Banzai told me that you guys met by the border the other day..."

"Oh yes!" Ndani exclaimed, "Forgot to tell ya. He was hunting there and I was just returning from the Outlands. We had some good fun, chasin' them birds around... He's a funny guy, that one."

"Glad you get along," Scar said sincerely, "I still hope I'll get to meet _your_ friends some time."

Ndani grinned. "I'll try and talk 'em into it, but don't expect them to be as friendly as your own mates."

"And yet, one of them still managed to seduce a rogue," he said.

Ndani giggled. "He wasn't crazy about her, ya know... He just did his thing and left."

Scar stood up and shook himself slightly. "Time to look for some shade," he muttered.

"Come and join us by the tree," Ndani said invitingly and turned around in the direction of the rest of the lionesses.

Scar followed her, not really intending to mingle with the pride, but looking forward to the refreshing shadow cast on the ground by the acacias.

Ndani sat down next to her sisters, Sarabi and Sarafina. Scar sat down a few paces away and looked at them, wondering whether Ndani was really related to the other two.

Sarabi and Sarafina had both firm, muscular bodies, and very beautiful features. Ndani, on the contrary, was small in frame and a bit skinny. She had a rough and unpolished look to her, whereas her sisters looked pristine and elegant. Their mother, Dalasini, had joined the Pride Landers and had agreed to also feed Mufasa and Scar, after the Queen passed away unexpectedly when they were born. Ndani was probably smaller as a result of that; she might not have had enough milk to drink as a cub. Being the runt of the litter, she always had it difficult, living under the shadow of her stronger and prettier sisters.

That had led Ndani to stray away from the pride and make friends elsewhere, and more often than not Scar could see her hanging out with a group of three lionesses he still had not had the pleasure to meet.

Scar got distracted from his thoughts when he heard Karanga and her daughters approaching. They were chatting animatedly about their lesson, looking a bit tired but content.

"Hello, my son," Karanga greeted Scar, nuzzling him gently.

Scar closed his eyes and enjoyed her attention. "Hi, mother. It looks like you three had a good lesson..." he said.

Karanga nodded as she lied down on the grass. "They are getting better, and more confident. Specially Tahlili, she's a natural. Shada works hard but she has to learn to focus more."

Scar listened to her, as he watched the two young lionesses provide a full report to the rest of the pride of what they did during their lesson.

He turned to Karanga, who was frowning slightly.

"What's wrong?"

"Kuuliza," Karanga replied, "she's twitching in her sleep..."

Scar looked around and spotted Karanga's mother, Kuuliza. She was the oldest lioness in the pride and her health had taken a turn for the worse lately. She even stopped joining the hunting parties, not being able to keep up with the younger lionesses anymore.

"She must be dreaming," Scar replied.

"Yes, but she's been getting all these nightmares lately, and more often than not wakes up all terrified... It's so not like her. Mother's always been strong and I never saw her being scared of anything. It was quite a weird sight, when I saw her panicking the first time..."

Scar looked at the old lioness. He remembered her as a strong and good huntress, but now she had lost weight, and she looked a lot more fragile. He wondered whether she still had long to live.

"Hey, Uncle Scar!" young Simba said, who had apparently materialized next to Scar without him noticing.

Scar refrained from rolling his eyes in the presence of the rest of the pride and looked down at the cub.

"Yes, Simba?" he said, in what he considered to be a good imitation of the annoying, condescending kind of voice the rest of the Pride used when talking to young cubs.

Simba climbed up on his uncle's back and snuggled on his mane, just as he often did with Mufasa. "Nala's all sleepy... You wanna play tag with me?"

The lionesses were staring at the two of them, so Scar had to put his best smile on his face and put up with the cub's playful displays of affection.

"Me? Oh no, no, no. I am too old to be running after cubs, especially one as quick as you are. I'd never ever catch you," he said, while the lionesses laughed.

Simba smiled proudly. "Psh, you're no fun," he said, while batting at Scar's tail.

"Indeed," Scar replied through clenched teeth.

Sarabi looked at her son lovingly, and looked up, noticing Mufasa approaching in the distance. "Look, Simba, here comes your father, why don't you go greet him?"

Simba rolled off Scar's back, hitting the ground rather hard.

"Oomph..." he said, and shook himself slightly. He then ran towards his father as fast as he could.

"Wow, look at him go..." Anasa said, smiling.

The lionesses smiled as Simba and Mufasa played and pounced on each other in the distance.

Scar looked away and stared idly at the horizon.

Mufasa and Simba eventually returned to the Pride. Sarabi greeted her mate with a loving lick on his cheek, and Mufasa nuzzled her in return.

"Simba was just telling me how he wanted to come with me next time, to see what his father is up to while he's gone," he told her.

Simba nodded, feeling rather curious about why Scar and Mufasa kept disappearing every other day.

Both lions took turns to patrol the borders and make sure no intruders crossed them, and Simba had noticed the pattern.

"Tomorrow?" Simba asked eagerly.

"But it's your uncle's turn tomorrow," Mufasa replied.

Simba's ears drooped, looking disappointed.

Mufasa smiled at him. "Okay, okay. I will show you what we do when your uncle and I are gone. In fact... There is actually something else too that I would like you to see."

Simba looked up at his father. "So you'll take me with you? You promise? First thing tomorrow?" he asked eagerly.

Mufasa nodded. "I promise."

"Great!" Simba exclaimed, and ran off to wake up Nala and tell her all about it.

"Scar, will you take the northern border tomorrow? I'll do the Southern one with Simba."

Scar nodded silently, as the lionesses began stirring.

"Time to stop procrastinating, my friends," Sarabi said as she stretched her legs, getting ready for the hunt.

The older lionesses, except Kuuliza, stood up and followed Sarabi, who would be leading the hunt today.

Karanga lagged behind, looking worriedly at her mother, but Mahali, who would stay behind on cub duty, came to her and gave her a comforting nuzzle.

"Don't worry," Mahali said, "I'll keep an eye on her too."

Karanga nodded gratefully and followed the rest of the pride as they discussed their hunting tactics for today.

Mahali stayed behind to watch over Simba and Nala, with the help of Tahlili and Shada, who were too young to join the hunt, but too old to be baby-sat. The three of them knew enough games to keep the cubs entertained and out of trouble for quite a while.

The hunting party, having had a bit of a difficult hunt, returned to Pride Rock way after evening had fallen already. They still managed to bring down a small gazelle and a zebra, after a couple of failed attempts. So although they were very tired, their spirits were high.

The pride ate well that night, and when they finally huddled together and went to sleep, they felt content and satisfied.

Scar, as usual, went to sleep alone by his ledge, even though the lionesses had already gotten used to his presence back in the pride, after a long period of absence. Scar lived with the hyenas for a while after he got into a serious fight with his father, and returned to Pride Rock only after the former King had passed away. Still, the lion kept more to himself and preferred to sleep on his own.

* * *

><p>Scar woke up the next morning, not feeling very well rested. He was in a bad mood, and was not looking forward to patrolling the borders if the heat turned to be as bad as the day before.<p>

He stretched himself and his eyes fell on a piece of meat he had dragged up to his ledge the night before. He decided to have breakfast first, and he'd make the rounds once he was done.

Scar ate distractedly, his thoughts all over the place. He wondered whether to pop by the elephant graveyard or not. After all, he would be patrolling the northern border anyway, but his heart was not into it. The hyenas would probably demand food and he wasn't planning on carrying any meat along while on patrol.

He finished eating and sat up-straight, grooming his face with a paw. Scar then stood up, looking a bit sour. He glanced at the ground shortly and kicked the bone he had just been gnawing on off the ledge. It was time to go start his rounds.

The lion looked up suddenly when he heard someone approaching.

"Hey Uncle Scar! Guess what?" Simba exclaimed, as he made his way up to the southern ledge, looking very enthusiastic.

Scar rolled his eyes, as Simba was probably the last lion he wanted to see right now, and managed to mutter, "I despise guessing games."

"I'm going to be King of Pride Rock!" the cub continued, having just had a father-and-son talk with Mufasa earlier that morning.

"Oh, goody," said Scar, not bothering to fake a friendly and condescending tone of voice anymore at this point.

Simba went on, telling Scar how Mufasa had showed him the whole kingdom and how he would get to rule it all sometime in the future.

Scar listened uninterestedly to Simba and talked to him curtly, hoping the cub would get bored and leave soon.

Simba, however, kept pressing on, completely unaware of his uncle's inner struggle, and making Scar even moodier than he was before.

"Hey Uncle Scar, when I'm king, what'll that make you?"

"A monkey's uncle," he replied, but he was suddenly struck by an idea that might work to get rid of Simba, given his insatiable curiosity at this age.

Simba chuckled. "You're so weird," he said bluntly, though he didn't mind the company of his uncle at all.

"You have no idea," Scar said, grinning slightly. He was sure Mufasa would have warned Simba about the perils of the elephant graveyard, as no lion or lioness dared to venture there on their own unless it was absolutely necessary. He decided to test his grounds, and changed his voice to a more friendly tone.

"So, your father showed you the whole kingdom, did he?"

"Everything!" Simba replied.

"He didn't show you what's beyond that rise at the northern border!" Scar said, feigning surprise.

Simba's ears drooped and he looked slightly disappointed. "Well, no... He said I can't go there..." the cub admitted.

Immediately Scar knew that he had found a golden opportunity to get rid of the cub, and to make it look like an accident. He knew the cub would not be able to resist something as spooky as a graveyard, especially if he hinted that only the bravest lions ever ventured into that place.

With that in mind, Scar proceeded to tell the cub how the northern border was dangerous indeed, and casually dropped the words 'elephant graveyard' into the conversation, as if by accident, with the expected results. Simba looked thrilled.

Scar, out of fake concern, made Simba promise that he would never go there, but the lion could tell that it was only a matter of time before the cub decided to go and explore.

"Looks like I will be popping by the elephant graveyard after all, and alert the hyenas..." he thought, smirking to himself as he watched Simba walk away with an excited and mischievous expression on his little face.

Scar stretched himself again, and climbed down the ledge. He took with his mouth a left over zebra haunch from last night's meal, and headed towards the northern border, feeling a lot cheerier all of a sudden.


	2. Be Prepared!

_Chapter 2_

**Be Prepared!**

Scar reached the elephant graveyard and headed to his favorite ledge, a very tall rise that the hyenas could not easily reach. He left the zebra haunch there for the time being, and proceeded to look for his three friends. He found them resting lazily by the Broken Ribcage, a set of bones that was very close to their den.

The hyenas saw him approaching in the distance, but look disappointed when they saw Scar had no food with him this time.

"Hey Banzai, check out who's decided to honour us with his presence!" Shenzi exclaimed sarcastically, after not having seen Scar around for a few weeks.

"Huh? You mean we know that guy?" Banzai replied with a grin on his face.

Shenzi frowned slightly. "Oh wait, he's got that smug grin on his face... Wanna bet he's up to something?"

Banzai stood up and stretched himself. His stomach growled as he did so. "Aww, man, if only he'd brought along something to eat..."

Scar reached the hyenas and managed to catch Banzai's last words. "You lot are never happy to see me unless there's food in my muzzle, isn't that true?" he muttered.

Shenzi chuckled at Scar. "Well, it's always an added bonus, ya know."

Scar smirked slightly. "Then you will be pleased to know that I have arranged a rather special meal for you three. The only problem is, it is so fresh, that you will actually have to chase it down first, before you can eat."

The hyenas looked at each other, intrigued. Even Ed appeared to be interested, always eager for a chase.

"Okay, you've got our attention," Shenzi said as she looked at the lion with curiosity.

"It's Mufasa's son, Simba," Scar replied, "I have reasons to believe he will be paying this place a visit real soon. He should be an easy target for you three, I assume?"

Banzai smiled greedily, feeling rather interested in the prospect of chasing a defenseless cub down.

"Hmm, nice tender meat, wouldn't say not to that..." he admitted, drooling at the thought.

"So how come that cub's coming here anyway? I don't think daddy gave him permission, did he?" Shenzi wondered.

"Of course he didn't. Simba will sneak out here on his own, and once you finish him, I can go back and announce how the cub ventured further than the pride's territory, and the hyenas got the best of him, not knowing that they were dealing with the future prince, of course."

"But then what?" Shenzi pressed on. "You don't think Mufasa will just go on and keep making 'em cubs?"

Scar grimaced. "I just need to make sure he won't have any time to do so."

The hyenas looked quite excited. They knew that Scar had his own agenda, and while they never offered to help him out in fulfilling his promise of revenge, now that they were given the chance to go for such an easy target, the hyenas couldn't resist helping Scar out for once. Mufasa could never blame them, given that the cub was in their territory anyway, so they had nothing to lose, and a nice meal to win.

"And when can we expect his royal highness' visit?" Banzai said in a mocking tone.

"I don't know, but he seemed a tad too eager, so it could even be today. I'd be on the lookout for him, if I were you."

Ed let out a mean, soft chuckle, and without anyone telling him anything, he climbed on top of some rocks and stared at the edge of the graveyard, with a hungry look in his eyes. His mouth was salivating already, and he would snigger to himself every now and then, in anticipation.

Scar looked at him for a moment as he raised an eyebrow. "He seems to be doing better, isn't he?"

Shenzi looked at Ed too and shrugged slightly. "Um, he has his days. He's more aware of what's going on, that's for sure. He likes helping out too, and for some reason I can't understand, he has a good memory for little silly things, like when clan meetings are held and such. Tell him to remind you of it at sunset, and he'll make sure you won't forget!"

Scar listened intently, thinking of what sort of hyena Ed would have turned out to be, had it not been for Thembi's attack.

Shenzi went on, "He just sucks at expressing himself. Oh, and he seems totally not capable of telling a lie, which can be quite an issue sometimes," she said, rolling her eyes for a moment.

Banzai let out a laugh. "Oh yeah, he got you in trouble and good with Asani, eh sis?" he sniggered.

Scar tilted his head, looking only mildly curious.

"Yeah, well she's trying to bite more than she can chew, that one..." Shenzi muttered slightly, but quickly changed the topic. "Anyway, I hope that lion cub will show up soon, I could use an early lunch..."

Banzai quickly nodded in agreement.

Scar stood up. "I am going to finish patrolling the border, but I'll come back later to hear whether Simba popped by today."

Shenzi nodded silently, and watched Scar as he made his way out of the graveyard. She knew Scar would go at any length to get the throne and fulfill his promise, even if he also had to walk over little Simba to do so.

Her mother Akili would have been horrified, as she had always striven to try and make peace with the lions, so that they could all live in harmony again. But Shenzi had always had a more devious mind and felt resentful towards lions in general, for casting them away, and moreover, for having murdered her parents. It was forbidden to hunt for sport in the Pride Lands, yet to Shenzi, that was just what old King Thembi had done with her mom and dad. He left their bodies there to decay, their death serving no purpose to him. Only the jackals and buzzards had benefited from his actions.

Since then, Shenzi felt she had a valid reason to feel resentful towards lions, Scar being the only exception for now. So she didn't stop to think about the consequences of what they were getting into.

The hyenas decided to keep an eye on the outskirts of the graveyard, to spot any unusual activity around the place. They waited for quite a while and were even starting to lose any hope that Simba would show up today. But it was then when Shenzi spotted two small golden shapes approaching the graveyard, pouncing on each other playfully, unaware of the dangers that they were about to face.

"There he is... And he's brought a friend!" she exclaimed, licking her chops.

Banzai turned to look and grinned at the sight of the two cubs. "I call dibs on the fattest one."

"Come, what do you say we give the prince and his friend a nice, warm welcome?" Shenzi whispered.

Banzai nodded and followed Shenzi quietly, so as not to be heard.

Ed followed them too, while Shenzi and Banzai shushed at him whenever he let out a nervous laugh.

Simba and Nala had not been careful about keeping quiet, and their voices carried far away into the graveyard. Normally, the pack would have ambushed them by now, but most of the clan happened to be away, looking for food. But Shenzi and her siblings had decided to stay behind this time, to wait for Simba to show up.

The three hyenas quickly reached the area where the cubs were exploring and taking in the eerie landscape in front of them, not paying attention to their surroundings. Simba and Nala didn't notice the hyenas silently taking cover behind an old elephant's skull.

Shenzi was about to attack, when suddenly a blur of blue feathers showed up and landed in front of the cubs, blocking her view for a moment. It was Zazu, the hornbill, who was whispering something to the cubs and urging them to get out of here, looking around his shoulder worriedly.

Shenzi made a signal with her paw, telling the other two hyenas to wait for a moment. Perhaps, if they played it well, they could have a three-course meal tonight. She listened intently to the bird and the cubs as they argued amongst each other.

"That's Mister Banana-Beak to you, fuzzy, and right now, we're all in very real danger..." the bird said, still looking around nervously for any sign of hyenas nearby.

The cub dismissed Zazu's warnings and walked past him, getting closer to the skull where the hyenas were hiding. "Danger? Hah! I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger! Hah hah hah!" he said smugly.

Shenzi took a deep breath, as the scent of Simba filled her nostrils and made her mouth water. She thought now would be a good moment to make a dramatic entrance, and signaled her siblings to follow her. She let out a loud laugh to match Simba's, which was echoed by Banzai and Ed. This had the desired effect; little Simba jumped startled and tried to hide behind Nala and Zazu, facing hyenas for the first time in his life.

"Well, well, well, Banzai, what have we got here?" Shenzi said, leading them to the cubs.

"Hmm... I dunno, Shenzi," he replied, playing dumb, "Uh, what do you think, Ed?"

Ed let out one of his usual laughs, looking very excited as they started circling their prey.

"Yeah, just what I was thinking," Banzai replied, "a trio of trespassers!" he added, showing his teeth menacingly at the cubs and the bird.

"And quite by accident, let me assure you. A simple navigational error..." Zazu stammered, sounding extremely nervous.

Shenzi could smell their fear and grinned to herself. She looked down at Zazu and realized that there was something familiar about his looks and his pompous way of speaking.

"Whoa, whoa, wait wait wait... I know you. You're Mufasa's little stooge..." she said, recalling very well that she had met Zazu earlier before, when he was still serving under King Thembi's reign.

It looked as if Zazu had not recognized them, as they were a lot younger when they last met. But Shenzi knew that it was because of Zazu that Scar got into a huge argument with his father, that eventually made him leave the Pride Lands and join the hyena clan instead. She would enjoy eating this bird, and perhaps she would even save some for Scar too.

Not far from there, Scar had returned to the graveyard and was looking for the hyenas, when he heard several voices that did not belong there. He recognized Simba and Zazu immediately, and assumed that the bird had probably followed the cub, just as he had done with Scar when he was younger.

Scar got closer, making sure that he would not be seen, and took a peek from above, where he could spot the hyenas making jokes about what they would be having for dinner tonight. Scar was not listening to them, instead he was staring at the other cub trembling next to Simba, realizing that it was Nala.

Scar's eyes grew wide and he looked angry all of a sudden. He never meant for her to end up here, as this was meant to be a secret between Simba and himself. The lion knew that there was a chance that Nala was the first cub he ever fathered, though he'd never know for sure. But while he never publicly displayed any affection for her, he certainly did not want Nala to end up as hyena bait tonight.

Scar cursed softly and did some quick thinking. "I might be able to get something more out of this... I can bring her back... I'll tell the pride that I was not able to save Simba anymore, but they will be grateful for me bringing at least one cub back to safety..."

He thought it was a good plan, and took off, chasing after the hyenas, who were now running wildly after the cubs.

The lion lost track of them for a moment, and looked around frantically, listening hard for any screams or growls that might give away their position. A hissing sound was heard nearby, and was followed shortly by a scream from Zazu, who had apparently been shot high into the air by a geyser, his tail feathers on fire.

Scar ignored the bird, who was flying erratically. He didn't see Zazu zig-zagging in the air, heading back towards the Pride Lands. Instead, Scar headed towards the nearby geysers and saw the hyenas chasing the cubs, herding them towards a narrow passage that Scar knew would lead them to a dead end. It would all be over soon.

Scar ran ahead of them, leaping from rock to rock until he made his way to the higher ledges of the graveyard, where he could look down at the hyenas without being easily seen.

He saw the cubs running in through the passage and reaching the end of the path. They tried to climb up the steep rocky walls, but it was no use. The hyenas were not even running now, they knew that the cubs had no escape.

Banzai taunted Simba, as he walked slowly towards the cubs. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty..."

Scar was now poised to jump on whoever decided to go for Nala, his muscles tensing up.

The hyenas taunted Simba once more, after he let out a loud yet unimpressive roar that had the hyenas in stitches.

"Oh... That was it?" Shenzi said, laughing derisively, "Do it again, come on."

Simba tried again, puffing his hair up as much as he could in an attempt to make himself look bigger than he was. Only this time, his attempt to roar was drowned by Mufasa's own powerful roar. The King had just arrived at the scene, alerted by Zazu, who had managed to fly back even after having damaged his tail feathers.

Scar crouched immediately and hid from view, as he heard the hyenas yelping in pain while they were being mauled by the King.

The hyenas tried to put up a fight, attacking the lion and biting him, but they were no match for Mufasa. He managed to pin down Banzai and Ed, and when Shenzi tried to run, Mufasa grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and pinned her down along with the other two. He held them down firmly, and the hyenas could tell they had lost the battle. Their aggressiveness turned into submission in a matter of seconds, and Scar could hear them apologizing to Mufasa and telling him they had no idea the cub was his son.

They might have gotten away with it, but Ed's inability to lie gave them away, and it only made Mufasa even angrier.

The hyenas saw their opportunity and fled quickly while Mufasa held his head up to let another angry roar.

Scar heard them skidding on the rocks as they made a quick get away, and he risked taking a peek down the ledge. He heard Mufasa scolding Simba for having disobeyed him, and they all walked away from the graveyard, shocked but unscathed.

Scar sat up straight and glanced down as he watched them leave. His expression was serious, but his heart was beating very fast. They had been so close... If it hadn't been for Zazu...

"Mufasa was very foolish, coming here without aid..." Scar thought, "He was lucky that the rest of the clan was away hunting. As strong as he is, a single lion would be no match for all of the hyenas, if they all attacked at once."

Scar pondered about this. "If I could get Simba and Mufasa alone, away from the pride, just like today... Mufasa won't think twice about coming to Simba's aid, that's clear to me now..."

Shaking the dust away from his pelt, Scar stood up, and went to look for the hyenas with a determined look in his face. He had never seriously thought about including the hyenas in his plan for revenge before, but all of a sudden he had realized that they might be able to help more than he gave them credit for. It was just a matter of persuading them to become his allies in this, and he had an idea that might just work.

He chuckled and muttered to himself, "Who would have ever thought of the hyenas as an essential part of my plan to take over the Kingdom..."

He eventually found the trio, who were nursing their wounds and complaining about lions in general.

Scar leapt silently from rock to rock until he reached his favorite ledge, where he had hidden the zebra haunch earlier that day. He sat there for a moment, watching and listening to the hyenas with a thoughtful look in his face.

"You know, if it weren't for those lions, we'd be runnin' the joint," Shenzi said, who was in a bad mood after having missed such a tasty meal.

"Yeah. Man, I hate lions," Banzai exclaimed.

Scar listened as the two hyenas enunciated all the bad qualities they could find in a lion, and finally decided to reveal his presence.

"Oh, surely we lions are not all _that_ bad?" he said from above, startling the hyenas for a moment, who were still feeling jumpy after their encounter with Mufasa.

Banzai let out a sigh of relief once he realized he was not in immediate danger. "Oh, Scar, it's just you!"

"We were afraid it was somebody important," Shenzi teased the lion.

"Yeah, you know, like Mufasa" Banzai added, as if it wasn't obvious already to Scar.

"I see..." Scar muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Shenzi could only recall one time when she felt as scared as she just felt a few moments ago during the fight with Mufasa. It was when the previous King Thembi had killed her father right in front of her eyes. "Now that's _power_," she realized.

Scar frowned slightly, wondering whether the hyenas really thought that little of him, or if they were just being the usual teasers. He himself had been guilty of calling the hyenas names before and telling them they were good for nothing, so he just let them carry on for now.

Shenzi and Banzai in the meantime were joking about how Mufasa's name was enough to instill fear in them, and Scar rubbed his eyes, seriously hesitating now about including the hyenas in his plans to take over the throne.

"I'm surrounded by idiots," he muttered as he felt a slight headache creeping in.

"Not you, Scar. I mean, you're one of us, I mean, you're our pal," Banzai added, who never had felt any fear towards Scar ever since they met.

"Charmed," Scar replied, not sounding very sincere at this point. He wanted to discuss serious issues with them and their constant joking around was getting on his nerves.

Banzai eventually inquired whether Scar had brought any food along, hopeful.

Scar looked down at them and decided to do some taunting of his own. "I don't think you really deserve this," he said, holding up the zebra haunch that was lying by his side.

The three hyenas perked up and started salivating as they stared up at the haunch.

"I practically gift-wrapped those cubs for you," he added, not going into details about the unplanned presence of Nala.

Scar held the food up in the air for a moment as the hyenas begged for it, and finally let it drop.

The hyenas began eating ferociously, being glad that they had a meal today after all, after their fiasco with the cubs.

Scar looked away as he added with visible disappointment in his voice, "And you couldn't even dispose of them."

Shenzi chewed on a big piece of meat while looking up at Scar, feeling that the lion was being unfair. "Well, ya know, it wasn't exactly like they was alone, Scar," she mumbled through her full mouth. She knew very well that if Mufasa had not shown up, the intruders would have been dealt with as agreed.

"Yeah!" Banzai joined in, "What are we supposed to do, _kill_ Mufasa?"

Scar smirked as he whispered,"Precisely," and his eyes narrowed even further. This was the cue he had been waiting for to explain to the hyenas what he was planning.

The three hyenas stopped eating for a moment, and looked up at Scar with puzzled expressions.

Banzai was about to clarify that he had been joking only, seeing the flame alight in Scar's eyes.

But the lion was already making his way down the ledge in a few swift jumps, a small grin plastered on his face. He landed close to the hyenas, who scattered aside to give him room. Scar walked around them thoughtfully, as the hyenas waited to hear what he had to say.

"I'd never thought it would come to this, but it is about time that I admit to myself that I cannot carry on with my plans, without some additional help," he said.

Shenzi frowned, as she had a feeling about where this conversation was going.

"I had a vision today, when I witnessed Mufasa had dared to venture into this graveyard to save his son, without any concerns about his own safety. He didn't even bring a lioness or two to back him up," he went on.

"Yeah, but the chances of that cub coming here again are close to zero, unless he happens to be very dumb..." Shenzi replied.

Scar chuckled. "It doesn't have to happen here, it can be in the Pride Lands, if we play it right."

Banzai bit his lip for a moment, not sure he understood Scar's plan yet. "Um, I really don't think the lionesses will let us get away with that. Suppose they find out? They'll gang up on us for sure!"

Shenzi nodded. "I'm sorry buddy, but you have your own agenda here, for your own very damn personal reasons, so don't try and get us involved."

Scar had been expecting some resistance from the hyenas, so he added in a casual tone, "Even if there's something for you to gain out of all this?"

Shenzi snorted. "What's there to gain, other than a war with Mufasa's harem?" she asked, while the other two hyenas chuckled.

"We can make it look like an accident so as not to incriminate either one of us. Besides, considering that Mufasa wouldn't be King anymore, his _harem _would have to sing to a different tune," Scar explained.

The hyenas were still looking at each other confused, but Shenzi grinned at Banzai, as she said, "I'd personally like a tune with no Kings in it, that's for sure!"

The hyenas laughed again, but Scar rolled his eyes, looking exasperated.

"Oh, for crying out loud!" the lion exclaimed, losing his patience a bit, "Just... think about this: the King and the Prince die. _We _kill them," he said, adding emphasis to make it clearer to the hyenas.

Shenzi frowned again but listened raptly to Scar.

"Someone has to take over the throne, and the only lion next in line is myself. Are you still following me?" he went on, speaking as he would do to a young cub, mockingly.

The hyenas nodded, looking annoyed.

"So let's say that our little plan works out and I take over the Kingdom. Now, who makes the rules? The King! Who makes all the important decisions? The King!"

He stared at the hyenas giving them a toothy grin, but the trio simply stared back, as if waiting for a punchline.

Scar grinned even broader as he whispered, "Now riddle me this. Who can lift the hyena ban on the Pride Lands?"

Shenzi and Banzai's eyes widened considerably.

Ed had already lost interest in what was going on and started gnawing on the bone that was left over from the zebra haunch, but Scar brought him back into the conversation by slapping the bone away from him.

"This is no time for fooling around! Even you should be interested in what I am about to offer!" Scar hissed.

Ed whimpered for a moment, and looked at Scar, trying to focus on his voice again.

"Whoa, whoa, let me get this straight," Shenzi said, "if we help you out, will we be allowed to roam free in the Pride Lands?"

Scar nodded. "With all the perks included. Access to the waterhole... Access to all the food you want, whenever you want..."

At the mention of the word 'food', Ed's expression changed, and appeared to be more focused now.

Banzai and Shenzi looked at each other, seriously considering Scar's suggestion.

"I assume this includes all hyenas? Or just your three lackeys?" came the voice of another female hyena, who apparently had been hiding in the shadows, unseen.

Shenzi looked behind her and could see that they were not alone anymore. Several hyenas were approaching now, clearly interested in Scar's offer.

"What's all this talk about endless food?" the female hyena insisted, approaching the trio.

Scar looked at her and recognized her as Asani, Shenzi's rival, due to her torn, almost missing, right ear. Shenzi had ripped it off during a fight, when Asani had challenged her for the matriarch position. The young hyena was no match for Shenzi, but she was still a high ranking female in the clan, and Shenzi sometimes had to remind her of her place.

"Asani, so you've decided to join our little meeting?" Scar said, looking around at the approaching hyenas.

Asani walked to Scar and glared at Shenzi as she did so. "Yes, and I'm glad I came right on time. I think before you strike any juicy deals here, we should all be informed about what's goin' on. This concerns the whole clan, and should've been discussed at the clan meeting. At least, it would've, if we had had a proper leader who's actually capable of organizin' things 'round here..." she said.

Shenzi walked past her, baring her teeth, and sat next to Scar. "Yeah, well, until you can find a _suitable _replacement, you will follow my orders, and I say you shut the hell up right this very moment, and listen to what he's got to say," she added, pointing with a paw at Scar.

Asani bared her teeth back but made no further comments.

More hyenas had congregated in the area. Scar looked around and could spot a few familiar faces, but also a few new ones he had no idea where they had come from. But Scar was not worried. He knew the fertile lands of the Pride Lands could provide for the whole clan and more.

Scar climbed on a higher ledge so that he could be clearly heard and seen. "All your problems would be over, if I were to take over the throne," he yelled out loud, "I promise you that the first thing I will do as King, is to remove the ban on the hyena kind. But first, I need to actually get to the throne, and this is where I need your assistance."

The hyenas listened with curiosity, all looking very intrigued at the possibility of having free pass to the lions' domains.

Scar went on, "I am not asking for much, I just want your help, and your loyalty. I need to know that you will stick with me, and if you do, in return I will make sure you'll never go hungry again! The whole Pride Lands will be at your disposal!"

The hyenas began whooping, as Scar offered them what they had been longing for so long. Nursing mothers were crying tears of joy, knowing they would be able to raise their pups far away from the desolate graveyard.

Asani looked at the hyenas who were already celebrating as if Scar was king already, but she was clearly hesitant.

"What if it goes wrong?" she asked.

Scar looked at her, frowning slightly.

"If your plan fails, we'll have to face the Pride's fury, and you'll probably be turned to buzzard food under the charge of treason."

Scar growled menacingly. "Then we have to make sure that we don't fail, don't you think?" he said, baring his teeth as he walked towards Asani, forcing her slowly backwards, the hyena clearly not at ease with the lion's sudden aggressive demeanor.

Scar went on, "It's in your best interest to make this work, Asani, because without me as King, you guys will have nothing. Not even a sniff! So you can embrace your existence in this dump, if you want, but whoever decides to support me on this, they will be rewarded for sure!"

The hyenas cheered again, while Asani sneaked away quickly and glared at Scar from a distance.

Scar turned to the rest of the hyenas again. "Look, for years we've had to endure hunger; we have been punished and beaten up for stupid reasons. I don't know about you, but I've had enough. After all these years of denial, I think I deserve better. We all deserve better! Our time has come, and under my reign, I promise you that our quality of life will be a lot better. I will be a great King, respected and loved, by both lions and hyenas!"

Scar paused for a moment, with a satisfied look on his face as he watched the hyenas cheering at him.

"So tell me, are you prepared for what's coming?" Scar yelled at the hyenas.

"Yes!" the hyenas screamed back at him.

"Are you prepared to take the necessary actions to make this happen?" he yelled again, making a slicing motion with his paw over his throat.

"Yes!" came the powerful voices of the hyenas again, more and more excited every time.

"Are you prepared for a lifetime of luxury, with me as your King?" Scar yelled louder.

"Yes, we are prepared!" the hyenas exclaimed in unison, "Long live the King! Long live the King!"

It was clear to Scar that he had won most of the hyenas over, as they were all cheering and dancing gleefully. Though a few of them were still looking rather skeptical and looked less enthusiastic than the rest, but they too were pondering what it would be like to be able to enter the Pride Lands freely, with no restrictions.

"So what are we supposed to do? How do we make this _accident _happen?" Banzai asked Scar, screaming to be heard over the loud whooping and cheering that was going on.

Scar motioned the trio to follow him until they reached a more quiet spot where they could easily understand each other. The rest of the clan stayed behind, celebrating the good times to come.

Scar sat down on his haunches and pulled his mane backwards, out of his face.

"I got an idea, but we'll have to be very careful, and above all, very patient," Scar whispered.

"I hate patience..." Banzai replied, while Ed gave an appreciative chuckle.

"Shush!" Shenzi interrupted them, and looked at Scar intently.

"Your clan will have to herd the wildebeest towards the edge of the gorge. But make sure they don't stampede!"

"Huh? But the wildebeest are nowhere close to the gorge!" Shenzi exclaimed.

"That's why I need you and your clan to slowly drive the herd towards it. Don't attack, don't eat anybody, just make your presence known and make sure the herd retreats away from you. Keep pushing them until they are at the very edge of the gorge."

Shenzi and Banzai nodded.

"When that happens, I will make sure Simba will be down in the gorge. By then, I believe that we can put Ed's talents to good use."

Banzai looked at Ed, puzzled. "_His _talents?"

Ed's ears perked up for a moment.

Scar smiled slightly. "Didn't you two once mentioned that you never take him hunting because he sends off all animals stampeding away with his crazy laugh?"

Shenzi smiled deviously, as it was clear to her now what Scar was up to. "And Daddy Mufasa will come and try to rescue his little boy, but no single lion can stop a herd of hundredths of stampeding wildebeest..." she told herself, while Scar nodded at her.

Banzai chuckled nervously. "Wow, buddy, remind me never to get on your wrong side!"

Shenzi scratched behind her ear nervously for a moment. "I hate to agree with Asani on something but... Have you considered what could happen if one of them happened to survive the whole deal? Or worse, both of them?" she said.

Scar shook his head. "There is no turning back, Shenzi. If the wildebeest cannot finish the job, we will have to do it ourselves. Mufasa will be tired and probably wounded, so I can take him down. If he is unscathed, then you can back me up, the four of us against him. Make sure you bring some backup from your clan as well, just in case."

The hyenas nodded, their instructions pretty much clear. Shenzi agreed to coordinate the herding operation with her clan.

Scar whispered more to himself than to the hyenas, "We just need to make sure they're both dead after the stampede, and I will break the news to the lionesses, explaining how brave Mufasa gave his life to save Simba's, all in vain..."

Shenzi and Banzai chuckled, and they decided to go join in the rest of the clan in their celebration, leaving Scar alone with his thoughts.

Scar closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I should go back now..."

The lion knew it was only a matter of time now, before he could finally prove Thembi wrong. With this thought in mind, he made his way back to Pride Rock, smiling to himself.

* * *

><p>(<em>Author's note: This is my take on how this scene might have gone, if Scar hadn't suddenly burst into his -awesome- villain song.<em> _I hope you liked it._)


	3. The Calm Before the Storm

_Chapter 3_

**The Calm Before the Storm**

The next few days went by uneventfully, while Scar kept a close eye on the wildebeest herd. The hyenas had been active for certain, as the herd came closer and closer to the gorge with each passing day.

The hyenas had been careful enough to only approach the wildebeest on the days when Scar had patrol duty, so as to avoid a nasty encounter with Mufasa.

The wildebeest in turn, were distrustful, even if the hyenas appeared not to be aggressive or hostile. Still, not wanting any trouble, the herd would simply retreat away from them, until the hyenas were out of sight and they felt safe again. This was exactly what Scar wanted.

Scar in the meantime tried to lie low, carrying his patrol duties without complaint for a change, and was happy to know that Simba never actually told Mufasa how he came to know about the elephant graveyard after all. The cub himself never mentioned the incident, or the graveyard, ever again after that day.

One morning, the lionesses were preparing to go hunting. Scar would be making the rounds, while Mufasa had to go check on a couple of leopards, who had been causing trouble due to a territorial dispute. As they were all getting ready to leave, Scar half-listened to the lionesses' conversation.

"I'm really hungry today," Huria said after a noisy yawn, "I hope we can find something quickly..."

Several lionesses agreed.

Queen Sarabi shook herself and stared into the horizon with an intrigued look on her face. "Will you look at that?" she said.

The rest of the lionesses stood up and looked in the direction Sarabi was staring.

"What is that?" Sita asked, narrowing her eyes to try and see better in the distance.

"If I didn't know any better, it's the wildebeest. What are they doing there? They usually don't get this close..." Sarabi replied.

Both Mufasa and Scar pricked up their ears when they heard this.

Mufasa walked to his Queen and nuzzled her gently for a moment. Then he looked ahead and frowned slightly at the sight of the herd. "You are right... I guess something has made them change their route. I will have to check on that tomorrow when I make my rounds..." the King said.

With that, Scar knew that their time had ran out. If he wanted his plan to succeed, it had to happen tomorrow, before Mufasa had a chance to speak to the wildebeest. The King would find out that the hyenas had been in the Pride Lands, and it would complicate matters considerably. Not to mention that Scar would be in serious trouble, as he had promised Mufasa he would keep the hyenas at bay, in exchange for some of the pride's food.

Huria pondered for a moment and whispered, "You know... We could dine on wildebeest tonight, it's been a while..." her mouth watering at the thought.

Scar tensed up when he heard this, as it would mean that all the herding efforts of the hyenas would go to waste, and his plan would be shattered if the lionesses were to scatter the herd.

Mufasa chuckled, but shook his head. "I want to find out what's going on, so don't go scaring the herd away for the time being, okay?"

Scar let out a sigh of relief and nodded in agreement. "May I suggest the zebra herds, which are a lot closer? There's no need to travel too far to get a good meal tonight..." he added.

The lionesses looked at both lions and nodded in agreement too.

"You're right... Fine, zebra it is!" Sarabi said, and stretched herself, eager for the hunt.

Mufasa nuzzled the members of the hunting party and wished them good luck.

The lionesses headed off, promising Mufasa to bring home a nice, hearty meal for everyone.

Mahali, Tahlili and Shada stayed behind, on cub-duty, while Nala and Simba ran around, yelling and roaring good luck wishes to the huntresses as well. After that, the younger lions engaged in a game of tag, while Mufasa and Scar went on their separate ways, to deal with their own tasks.

Scar decided against skipping his patrol duties, as he knew Mufasa was bound to check on that later. So instead, he hurried up, doing a rather poor job at marking the borders, but the urgency to reach the graveyard was much greater than his worries about what Mufasa would say about his work.

He finally reached the graveyard and called for the hyenas. "Shenzi! Banzai! Are you here?"

Scar heard some faint laughter in the distance and he saw Shenzi emerging not far away from there. She shook herself and approached Scar slowly, wondering what had brought the lion here at this time of day.

"What are you doin' here so early? What got you all worked up?" Shenzi asked chuckling, seeing Scar rather out of breath.

Scar swallowed and stared into her eyes. "It happens tomorrow."

Shenzi was taken aback, as she thought they'd still have a few more days to carry out the job. She stared back, keeping eye contact with Scar.

"Whoa, wait, wait, wait! What do you mean, 'tomorrow'? The wildebeest are not even by the gorge yet!"

Scar nodded. "So herd them all day and night, for all I care, but you _have _to make sure they are by the gorge in the morning!"

Shenzi tiled her head. "Why so suddenly? What's wrong?"

Scar grunted. "Mufasa has noticed the wildebeest have followed a different route this time, and wants to find out why. If he finds out they've been moving away from you guys, he'll get suspicious and will start asking questions, I just know it."

"Yeah... He sure will... And I don't want him comin' here lookin' for answers!" Shenzi agreed.

"Start right now. I am on patrol duty so Mufasa won't get close, if for whatever reason he does, I will go and warn you."

Shenzi nodded. "Okay, I'll go and tell the others then."

"I will make sure that Simba is at the bottom of that gorge, I will bring him there as soon as Mufasa leaves on patrol," Scar went on.

"How will we know when it is the right time?" Shenzi asked.

"I will leave Simba down there and then climb back up, to the edge on the other side. Once you see me there, that will be the signal for you to proceed and make the wildebeest stampede down the gorge. Don't go any sooner, or you'll end up crushing me too."

Shenzi chuckled. "Now, _that_ would be quite a drawback to your plan, hmm?"

Scar glared at the hyena. "Just make sure you do your job right. We cannot afford to make any mistakes."

Shenzi's smile faded rather quickly. "Chill down a bit, Scar. We're not the idiots you think we are, and we'll do our part of the job just fine. We just hope _you _will stick to your part of the plan..."

Scar stood up. "Of course I will. Now go on, you have enough work to do," he said as he turned around and walked in the direction of Pride Rock.

Shenzi rolled her eyes and left in the opposite way, to coordinate the herding operation with the rest of the clan. She called for an emergency meeting, and all the hyenas who were within earshot made their way towards her.

Shenzi waited until the crowd had gathered around her, and waited for them to hush so that they could clearly hear what she had to say.

Banzai and Ed joined the group not long after, wondering what this was all about and why Shenzi would call for a meeting without telling them about it earlier.

Shenzi cleared her throat and spoke to them with a firm and confident voice. "Scar just came to see me a few minutes ago. It seems that the plan is about to go to the dogs if we don't act quick. The wildebeest have to be by the gorge tomorrow morning."

The hyenas gasped and looked around at each other.

"Tomorrow? It's impossible!" Asani exclaimed, "It'll take at least two or three more days!"

"We _don't _have two or three more days, Asani. If it doesn't happen tomorrow chances are Mufasa will find out we've been messin' around and he'll probably come here, demanding an explanation."

Asani shrugged. "Then we just tell him about Scar's little plan, don't we?"

Shenzi bared her teeth at the younger hyena. "And ruin our ties to the only one who can get us back into the Pride Lands? Yeah, that's pretty damn smart. Gosh, why aren't you the leader of the clan?" she said sarcastically.

Asani was about to say something but Shenzi interrupted her, yelling loud and clear, "Listen, everyone, _if_ Mufasa shows up, we'll just play dumb and that's that. No one is to tell him about Scar's plans, is that clear?"

The hyenas nodded.

Shenzi smiled satisfied. "Let's go then, we've got some serious herding to do."

The hyenas stood up and the group headed in the direction of the grazing wildebeest, who were still very much unaware of what the hyenas were up to.

Asani walked a bit quicker, to catch up with Shenzi, who was now filling Banzai and Ed in on her private conversation with Scar.

Once she reached her, Asani told her, "Just so you know, I won't 'play dumb' if my life's at stake. The others shouldn't, either. Our life is more important than that lion of yours..."

Shenzi looked at her for a moment and shook her head. "Listen... Mufasa's not like old Thembi, you know. Mufasa could've killed me and my brothers the other day by the cave, but he didn't. He respects life more than his father does, that one. I am sure that since we have not even touched any of those wildebeest, he won't have much grounds to punish anyone, other than scolding us for trespassing, like he always does. Scar'll probably be much worse off, actually..."

Asani chuckled for a moment, picturing big brawny Mufasa teaching his skinny brother a lesson he'd never forget.

"Now bugger off, I got important stuff to discuss with Banzai here," Shenzi said, dismissing the younger hyena with a wave of her paw.

Asani glared and joined her own circle of friends, still looking distrustfully at Shenzi every now and then. The young hyena could not understand how those three could have built such a strong bond with a lion, of all animals, that they were even willing to risk their lives and the clan's for him.

Shenzi, in the meantime, continued explaining to Banzai and Ed why they needed to act so quickly.

"Man, I wonder if we'll manage, we'll have to herd them wildebeest all day and night..." Banzai said, looking thoughtful.

"The best is to do it in groups, so that everyone can have some rest at some point. It's Scar's turn to patrol, so at least we know the coast will be clear..." she said, glancing towards Pride Rock.

Banzai nodded, while Ed appeared to be listening too, as he let out a soft laugh every now and then in response.

"I also want us to be in charge of the stampede itself," she added, "Scar will give us a sign, and then... it's show-time!"

Banzai smiled dreamily for a moment. "Imagine, at this time tomorrow, we will be living the good life..."

Shenzi grinned too. "Mmm-hmm... Well, let's get busy..." she replied, and the hyenas prepared themselves for a long night, fueled by the thought of roaming the Pride Lands freely, without the Pride's threat.

* * *

><p>It was late in the afternoon when the lionesses returned from their hunt. They had managed to bring down a rather big zebra, which they displayed proudly in front of Mufasa.<p>

The King thanked the lionesses for the hearty meal, and began eating with enthusiasm. He was in a good mood, because his negotiations with the leopards had turned out better than he expected. He looked around as he ate and saw Scar sitting down nearby, staring at nothing in particular, waiting for his turn to eat.

Mufasa smiled slightly, thinking that Scar was finally fitting in more into the pride lately. His younger brother had carried his patrol duties without much complaint, and that pleased Mufasa immensely. However he still wished that they could be closer, and perhaps share a few walks and conversations, just like they used to when they were cubs.

In a moment of inspiration, Mufasa stopped chewing and called Scar. "Brother..."

Scar looked at Mufasa a bit startled, as if abruptly awoken from his daydream. "Yes, Mufasa?"

"Why don't you come join me?" Mufasa said, pointing at the food invitingly.

Scar looked around for a moment, slightly confused. He spotted Karanga sitting amongst the lionesses, smiling warmly at him, and nodding encouragingly.

He stood up and walked towards the food, and sat down on the opposite side, facing Mufasa.

"Feeling generous tonight?" Scar asked, still looking slightly puzzled.

Mufasa continued eating, while Scar joined him, a bit hesitant.

"When you came back, after Father's death, I offered you the chance to form a coalition with me," Mufasa said between bites.

Scar listened as he chewed, remembering that day very clearly, but he said nothing.

"You gracefully told me to forget it and to run this kingdom by myself just like Thembi had taught me to, remember?"

Scar paused eating for a moment and looked at Mufasa with narrowed eyes. "And your point is...?"

"Look at us, brother. We're running this place together, we're patrolling together, we're protecting the lionesses and their cubs together. You even assisted Sarafina once when she was in season. Scar, we _are_ a coalition now, whether you want it or not... As such, I say you can eat along with me, from now on."

Scar looked away for a moment, having lost all appetite all of a sudden.

Mufasa could sense certain distress in him, a reaction he had not expected from this particular conversation.

"What's wrong, brother? Aren't you content with how things are working out, now that Father can't make your life miserable?"

Scar shook his head and composed himself. "It's weird, listening to you talking about Thembi like that. Everyone knows you adored him," he replied, and took another bite, pretending he was enjoying the meal.

Mufasa frowned slightly. "I did love him, but it is no secret either that I never agreed with the way he treated you. Unfortunately I was not able to do much about that as a cub. But I know you are no murderer, and I wish Father could have seen that too..."

Scar listened closely, his mouth going very dry all of a sudden as he experienced a certain sense of guilt, knowing that Mufasa's time on earth was running out, and it was all because of him. The lion made a big effort to swallow the piece of meat he had been chewing on. It felt as if he had just eaten a mouthful of dry, tough bark.

"I know I cannot change the way things happened in the past," Mufasa went on, "but I do look forward to how we can shape our future together instead."

Scar looked at Mufasa with a serious expression, while at the same time experiencing quite a mixture of feelings. But the anger and the resentment he had built up all these years drowned the small pang of guilt he felt earlier, when Mufasa had said that he was no murderer. He also felt extremely upset at how easily Mufasa always seemed to dismiss what happened in the past. Scar had a harder time forgetting the past that marked him and made him into the lion he was today.

Scar knew he had reached a point where there was no return. So instead of letting Mufasa's words affect him, he tried to focus on his goal: become the sole King of Pride Rock. He did not promise Thembi that he'd rule the Pride Lands in a coalition with his brother. He promised he would become King, and he would stick to that.

Mufasa leaned closer and whispered for only Scar to hear, "I do miss you, brother. I wish I could get to know you again..."

Scar smiled ever so slightly. "I guess there'll be plenty of time for that, big brother."

Mufasa nodded and grinned, thinking he had finally been able get past the wall Scar had built around himself.

The King stood up, feeling satisfied, and went to groom himself. Scar followed him, while the lionesses and the cubs moved in for their share of the meal.

Both lions watched the pride while they ate, just as night fell in the Savannah. Once the lionesses were full, everyone retreated into the cave for a nap, feeling drowsy after such a good meal.

Scar was about to retreat to his ledge, as usual, but stopped on his tracks when he heard Mufasa clearing his throat in an exaggerated fashion.

Scar turned to him, and Mufasa smiled, motioning with his head to follow him and the rest of the pride into the cave instead.

Scar took a deep breath and entered the cave, where the lionesses were already settling in.

Karanga was extremely surprised to see her younger son joining in, and she immediately went to him, nuzzling him lovingly.

"My son, how nice to see you in here!" she said, feeling glad that her two adoptive sons were finally getting along, after all these years.

"Mufasa insisted," Scar replied, closing his eyes as Karanga groomed his face and ears gently. He lied down to make the task easier for her.

"Glad he could finally persuade you," she said between licks.

Scar looked around the cave. He spotted Mufasa and Sarabi, cradling Simba between their paws. Sarafina was telling a bed-time story to Nala, who was not feeling sleepy at all, and the rest of the lionesses were huddled close together.

Karanga noticed that her mother Kuuliza appeared to be shivering a bit, so she stopped her grooming session.

"Mother's cold..." she said, "Would you mind if I go and try to keep her warm?"

Scar shook his head. "Of course not, go ahead."

Karanga gave Scar one last nuzzle, and walked up to her mother, who gave her an appreciative smile as she saw Karanga coming closer.

Tahlili and Shada spotted their mother lying down next to Kuuliza, and decided to go and help her too in warming up the oldest lioness in the pride.

Scar sighed deeply and rested his chin on his paws, wondering how the hyenas might be doing with their current task. He pondered going to check on them for a moment, but decided against it in case someone decided to follow him.

Scar hadn't noticed that he was being watched by Ndani, who could barely remember the last time when Scar had slept in the cave. She was lying all by herself, but eventually the lioness stood up and walked towards him.

"Wow... " she whispered, sitting next to Scar, "Must be quite a night for you, huh? First the King himself invites you over to share his chow, then you get to sleep in the 'royal chamber' too..." she said in a playful, mocking tone.

Scar looked up annoyed at first, but his expression softened slightly when he saw it was Ndani.

"Yes... Well, times change. Mufasa wants to put the past behind us, you see," Scar replied, smirking at the lioness.

"Hmph... He makes it sound a lot easier than it is..."

Scar nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"Oh well. At least _you _had a good day," she said as she stretched herself and flopped ungracefully on her side, facing Scar.

The lion frowned slightly. "What are you talking about? The lionesses said this was the easiest hunt you've had in quite a while."

"Psh, the hunt. That's not ALL we do, you know," Ndani grunted.

Scar rested his chin on his paws again. "Then fill me in. What happened?"

"It's Zira," Ndani replied, lowering her tone of voice even more.

Scar thought for a moment. "Zira... Was that the one expecting a rogue's cub?"

Ndani sighed. "Yup... That's her... Remember I told you how she was feelin' like crap and all? Turns out she went into labor, way before she was due... The cub didn't make it."

Scar looked at the lioness, who appeared to be genuinely sad for her friend. "Oh, she must be feeling terrible then..." he said, not sounding too concerned.

Ndani nodded. "She is, for now. But if I know Zira well, she'll probably forget all about it in a coupla days. Maybe it was better this way, ye know. Truth to be told, I don't think she'd make a good momma..." she whispered, looking around making sure no one was listening.

"How can you tell?" Scar asked.

Ndani shifted her weight to the other side as she spoke. "Well, it's like this... some lionesses are cut to be good mothers, and they melt just at the sight of a cub, while others, like myself, for example, are less excited about the small furballs, and are more into the thrill of the chase, or putting up a good fight. I got the feeling that Zira ain't part of the first group at all. I think she'd go away on one of her five-day trips to only she knows where, and forget all about her cub!"

"It makes me wonder why she even accepted the rogue's advances, if she felt that way," Scar replied thoughtfully.

Ndani chuckled. "You males will never understand how bad it is when a lioness is in season. You never get to experience anything like it. It's like... Our brains and heart just turn upside down and inside out all of a sudden, and nothing makes much sense anymore. Your body screams for one thing, and one thing only. Now, you can try and be strong and ignore the feeling, but it is very easy to give in, if a male's nearby. It doesn't even matter anymore whether you want cubs or not at that point... And that's what happened to Zira. The rogue lion just had terrible timing..."

Scar looked at Ndani for a moment, who was the same age as Sarabi and Sarafina, thus old enough to start having her own cubs if she wanted to.

"So how do _you _manage, when that time comes?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Oh, I just go away for a few days, and hope no rogues will cross my path!" she chuckled, and added with a grin on her face, "Once Mufasa found out though, and he came to me wondering if I needed his help. I slapped him across the face so hard before he could even finish his question, and told him to scram and leave me alone!"

Scar couldn't help but chuckle along, as the lioness scored a few extra points with him for having rejected Mufasa. "Yet you lived to tell the tale?"

Ndani nodded. "C'mon, it's no secret that lionesses get quite moody during that time. So he just let me be, and told me I could come to him instead if I wanted to."

Scar grinned slightly and looked thoughtfully at Mufasa, who was now sleeping peacefully with Sarabi and Simba.

Ndani yawned noisily. "Anyway, I think I'll nap now, I feel today's chase is catching up with me..."

Scar nodded. "Fine," he said, and closed his eyes too, to catch some sleep, although he felt so worried about the events to come, that he wondered if he would be able to sleep at all.

The lion also expected Ndani to go back to her previous sleeping spot, but instead, she paced in circles a couple of times and settled down by his side, so close that Scar was able to feel the heat that her body was giving off.

Scar eyed Ndani for a moment, remembering that the only time he had spent sleeping so close to a lioness other than his mother Karanga was when he and Sarafina had spent a night together. Ndani's explanation earlier came as a painful moment of realization. He remembered Sarafina's words clearly, _'If you won't help, I'll go find me someone who can'_. He now was aware that Sarafina would have probably spent the night with anyone that might have crossed her path that night, and it just had luckily happened to be him. But it was very clear to him now that the lioness had no feelings for him and she just got caught in the heat of the moment, much like Zira did with her rogue.

While the lion had gotten lost in his thoughts, Ndani, who had already fallen asleep, rolled slightly, only to end up resting fully against Scar's body.

Scar looked at her again and then stood up slowly, so as not to wake her. He shook his head, not wanting to cloud his mind with thoughts that were of little importance for the time being.

"There will be time for this sort of thing later..." he muttered to himself and sat down outside of the cave, hoping that the fresh cold air of the night would help him focus again on the big day ahead.

* * *

><p>The sun came out the next morning, lighting the sky up in tones of red and orange, and Scar had no other choice but to witness the beautiful sunrise, as he had not been able to sleep at all during the night. He had spent going in and out of the cave, restlessly. However, the lion could not hide a huge grin on his face when he saw that by the edge of the gorge, right on the other side, were the wildebeest.<p>

"They made it... They pulled it off!" he told himself, his heart beating faster all of a sudden.

Not long after, the pride started rising. Voices and yawns could be heard from inside the cave. Scar decided to go back in so as not to arouse any suspicions.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside, he spotted Simba, who was looking a bit sulky.

"Dad, please, it's been a while since we went out together, come on!" the cub told Mufasa, who smiled at his son.

"I know, Simba, but you can't come today. Besides walking the borders, I also need to go and talk to the wildebeest, so it is safer for you to stay home."

"Why? They wouldn't hurt me if I am with you, right?"

Mufasa shook his head. "I don't know, son. Wildebeest are very volatile, and I have the feeling something strange is going on, and I want to find out first whether there is any danger. So you stay here with Nala, and be a good cub for a change, okay?"

Simba's ears drooped. "'Kay..."

The Pride went outside, and the lionesses sat down to groom each other.

Scar looked around and noticed Simba had stayed behind, inside the cave. He swallowed with some difficulty and walked towards the cub.

Simba saw someone approaching and looked up expectantly, hoping it was Mufasa who had reconsidered and changed his mind. He looked slightly disappointed when he saw it was Scar.

"Hey Uncle Scar..." he said with little enthusiasm.

"Hello, Simba," Scar replied as he sat next to the cub. "I couldn't help but notice that your dad cannot take you along this morning, and that you really wanted to go..."

"Yes, he's always making up excuses, first it was the leopards, now the wildebeest..." Simba said, rolling his eyes.

"But he's right, you know. The wildebeest are very dangerous." Scar said in a rather exaggerated tone of voice.

"Psh... dangerous, yeah right, all they do is eat grass all day!" Simba replied.

Scar grinned for a moment. "Hey... How about you and I go for a walk together instead? I can tell you a story about the wildebeest along the way if you like."

Simba looked up and his eyes lit up instantly. "Really? Yeah! That would be cool!"

"I think your father's left already, so why don't you go ask your mother for permission first?"

Simba nodded and ran out of the cave looking very excited. He quickly located Sarabi and head-butted her.

"Mom! Mom! Can I go for a walk with Uncle Scar? Please? Can I go?"

Sarabi perked her ears. "A walk with your uncle?"

Scar approached them too and nodded at Sarabi. "He was feeling a bit blue about not being able to go with Mufasa, so I thought I could take him for a walk instead."

Sarabi tilted her head for a moment, clearly surprised at Scar's sudden display of interest in the cub. But she thought about the conversation Mufasa and Scar had the day before and she assumed this was his way of expressing how he had finally assumed his role in the pride.

"Okay, but you'll be a good cub and do everything your uncle tells you, understood?" Sarabi finally said.

"Great!" Simba yelled, and suddenly blurted, "Hey, Nala, wanna come too?"

Scar had barely any time to register what had happened, but luckily for him and his plan, Nala declined Simba's offer.

"Can't come, Mom will show me how to stalk today!" Nala replied, finding hunting lessons a lot more exciting than a walk with the strange lion.

Simba shrugged. "Fine... Come on, Uncle Scar, let's go!"

"See you all later," Scar told the lionesses, and he left Pride Rock along with Simba.

All the lionesses were a bit surprised, but just as Sarabi did, they attributed this friendly act to his talk with Mufasa the day before and didn't think much of it.

* * *

><p>"So, where're we going?" Simba asked.<p>

"Oh, nowhere in particular, we'll just see where we end up," Scar said.

Simba grinned and as they walked, he playfully pounced on a few leaves that were rolling around with the wind.

"So what was this story you were going to tell me?" the cub asked while he pounced.

"Oh yes, the wildebeest... You see, your father has a very good reason for not wanting you to be around them," Scar replied, and went on when he saw he had caught Simba's attention.

"Long time ago, there was this lion cub, who was just playing in the Savannah, much like you were doing just now," he said, while Simba nodded, "however the young lion was not very familiar with the perils he could face outside of his home. Sure, he knew crocodiles could bite, and that a leopard or a cheetah could hunt him down. But he also knew that there were a lot of animals who would pretty much run away from him, in fear, and he thought the wildebeest were one of those."

Simba listened intently to his uncle as they walked, not paying attention to where they were headed.

Scar went on, "One day he had the brilliant idea to test his hunting skills on a herd of wildebeest that was grazing nearby. The cub didn't know that the wildebeest could easily panic, and when he finally found out, it was too late. The wildebeest were stampeding all over the place, and the cub had nowhere to run to, the wildebeest were everywhere."

Simba gasped. "Couldn't he just avoid their hooves or something?"

Scar shook his head. "Perhaps, if it's only two or three of them... But a whole lot of wildebeest running around will create a cloud of dust that will blind you. You cannot see where you are going, or what's coming at you."

"Wow... scary..." Simba replied, staring ahead thoughtfully. "Anyway, what happened next?"

"Well, you can imagine what happened... The cub was badly injured under the hooves of the wildebeest. He would have died for sure, but his brother had happened to witness the whole thing, and he guided the cub back to the Pride where he was nursed back to health."

Simba's ears perked up. "So he made it in the end? Was he okay after that?"

Scar nodded. "He recovered eventually, but he kept an ugly reminder of what happened that day, a reminder that would mark him for the rest of his life."

Simba tilted his head. "Huh? A reminder? What kind of reminder?"

Scar stopped walking for a moment and pointed at his left eye.

Simba's eyes opened wide. "You? You were that cub?" he asked, genuinely amazed.

Scar nodded and carried on walking. "Your father knows that I could have died that day, and I am quite sure that he doesn't want something similar to happen to you."

Simba finally understood and didn't feel as resentful towards his father anymore. "So my father saved your life..."

Scar thought, "He owed it to me, given how he started the stampede in the first place..." but he said nothing to Simba.

Scar in the meantime had led Simba down the gorge, but the young lion was unaware of his location. He was trying to imagine his uncle as a young cub, and what he must have gone through during the stampede.

"Still... I wish dad took me places more often..." the cub added with a deep sigh.

"Well, I am not supposed to tell you this, but since you need some cheering up... There was another reason why your dad didn't want you to go with him today," Scar said, whispering in a conspiratorial manner, looking around as if they could be overheard in the middle of the empty gorge.

Simba looked at him with a curious expression. "For real?"

Scar nodded. "Yes, and all I can tell you is that you have to wait by that tree over there," he said, pointing to a rock underneath a small tree, right in the middle of the gorge.

Simba looked at the tree, and then looked around, trying to get his bearings. "By... by the gorge? But dad doesn't like it when we come play here..." he said, looking confused.

"Well, he knew you wouldn't be alone today, didn't he?"

Simba nodded, a bit unsure this time.

"Now you wait here," Scar said as they reached the base of the tree, "Your father has a marvelous surprise for you..."

"Ooo... what is it?" the cub asked, hoping he could get Scar to tell him more about what Mufasa was planning.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now, would it?"

Simba grinned a bit. "If you tell me, I'll still act surprised!"

Scar let out a loud chuckle. "You are such a naughty boy."

"Come on, Uncle Scar..." Simba begged, but Scar shook his head.

"No, no, no, this is just for you and your daddy. You know... a sort of father-son... thing." Scar said, perhaps a bit more derisive than he intended to. He glanced quickly at Simba, who looked a bit disappointed about Scar not sharing the secret.

"Well... I'd better go get him!" Scar said, trying to look excited.

Simba stood up again. "I'll go with you!" he exclaimed.

Scar frowned and blurted a rather loud 'NO' that took Simba aback. Scar's patience was running low, but he knew he must keep calm, so as not to ruin everything.

Scar recovered his composure quickly and softened his tone of voice while saying, "No... Just... Stay on this rock."

The lion wondered whether a bit of guilt would work into making the cub stay in one place, so he added, "You wouldn't want to end up in another mess, like you did with the hyenas..."

Simba looked up a bit surprised, as he was not aware that anyone else knew about that incident. "You know about that?" he asked, looking rather embarrassed.

Scar remembered how miserable he felt when all the animals had been talking about his own failed attempt at hunting a wildebeest, so he used the same trick on the cub. "Simba, _everybody_ knows about that."

"Really?" The cub said, looking even more embarrassed than before.

Scar pressed on, "Oh yes. Lucky Daddy was there to save you, eh?"

"Much like he was there to save _you_," Simba thought, but he knew better than to back-talk to his uncle.

Scar wrapped his paw around Simba and pulled him close, whispering in his ear, "Oh, and just between us, you might want to work on that little roar of yours. Hmm?"

Simba looked down, wondering just how many details had leaked out from his encounter with the hyenas. "Oh, okay..." the cub muttered.

Scar knew the cub would stay in place now, probably too sad and embarrassed to wander off in a playful fit. He let go of Simba and started walking away.

Simba looked up, brightening up slightly, and yelled to his uncle as he walked away, "Hey Uncle Scar, will I like the surprise?"

Scar looked over his shoulder, grinning slightly, and replied, "Simba, it's to _die _for."

As he walked away, Scar glanced over his shoulder every now and then, to make sure that Simba had stayed near the rock. The time to put his plan in action had finally come.


	4. The Wildebeest Stampede

_Chapter 4_

**The Wildebeest Stampede**

After herding all day and night, most of the hyena clan had returned to the graveyard, so as not to attract Mufasa's attention any more than the wildebeest herd already did. Only a few hyenas stayed behind. They would assist with the stampede, as well as go to Scar's aid, if he were to have a confrontation with Mufasa.

The hyenas were tired and hungry, as they had spent all night up and awake, without any time to go hunting for food. But the anticipation of the stampede was keeping them on edge.

Shenzi and her siblings were hiding behind a rock arch, where they had good visibility of the herd, as well as of the opposite side of the gorge. Scar was supposed to show up there any moment now, to let them know it was okay to proceed, so they looked around expectantly.

Banzai's stomach was growling in protest from the lack of food, and the constant rumbling noise was making Shenzi rather nervous.

"Shut up!" she hissed at Banzai.

"I can't help it," he replied, his hunger taunted even more by the presence of so many wildebeest up close, "I'm so hungry... I gotta have a wildebeest!"

"Stay put!" Shenzi commanded.

Banzai's ears drooped slightly. "Can't I just pick off one of the little sick ones?" he asked, his mouth watering at the thought.

Shenzi rolled her eyes. "No! We _wait _for the signal from Scar!"

Banzai sat down, his ears drooping even further. He looked rather sulky and was about to argue again, but at that precise moment, Scar showed up on the other side, giving them the green light to proceed with the plan.

"There he is!" Shenzi exclaimed, "Let's go..."

The three hyenas moved forward slightly.

Shenzi climbed a small rock and looked around quickly, making sure that everyone else was in their positions.

The rest of the hyenas noticed Shenzi on the rock, and prepared themselves to chase up the herd down the gorge. They held their tails up high and flicked their ears three times, to let her know that they were ready.

Once Shenzi confirmed that everyone was ready to go, she turned to Ed.

"This is it, big bro. Your moment of glory, your time to shine. Now go and make them run!" Shenzi told him with a big grin on her face.

Ed gave her an even wider grin in return, and let out a very loud, hysterical laugh, which was echoed by all the hyenas that had surrounded the wildebeest.

The members of the herd looked up startled, spooked by the sudden eerie laughter, and they started backing up once they saw the hyenas approaching. Only this time, the hyenas were actually charging at them, with bared fangs and menacing growls. The wildebeest began to panic. The ones that were closer to the hyenas began stomping the ground with their hooves and vocalized a sound of alarm, to alert those who were far away and who had not noticed yet that the hyenas were attacking.

The hyenas started snapping at the herd's heels, which increased the wildebeest's panic, and they finally started running. The hyenas grouped together to make sure that the herd didn't run on the opposite direction of the gorge. In a matter of seconds, the herd was pouring down the walls of the gorge like a deadly mudslide.

Ed was having the time of his life, running along with the herd and trying to bite the passing wildebeest. His laughter kept scaring the animals, who tried their best to run faster, just to get away from him.

Eventually all of the wildebeest were heading down the gorge, while the hyenas looked from above, satisfied. Now it was up to the wildebeest and to Scar to finish the job.

"Come," Shenzi said while the hyenas regrouped, "let's follow their route and keep an eye on things, in case Scar needs us to jump in."

The hyenas nodded and followed Shenzi, the adrenaline still running through their bodies.

Scar had watched the scene for a moment. He saw Simba trying to scare off a lizard, and heard his young cub-like roar echo on the walls of the canyon. As if that had been their queue, the wildebeest came pouring down towards the cub.

Scar saw Simba darting off, but the wildebeest were much faster and caught up with the defenseless cub in a matter of seconds. It was time to get Mufasa involved, so he ran off towards the east, where he knew Mufasa was patrolling the grounds.

Simba, in the meantime, tried his best to stay alive, running at first along with the herd. But Scar had been right when he said that under those circumstances it was very hard to see where you were going. There was a dusty cloud building up around Simba that impaired his vision, and not long after the cub was not able to see properly where he was heading. He managed to climb up a rather small and dying tree trunk, and tried to cling for his life, screaming for help at the top of his lungs.

"Uncle Scar! Help me!" he yelled as hard as he could, but his voice was drowned under the stampeding hooves all around him.

The cub, who until today had had no reason to fear the wildebeest, still had Scar's story fresh in his mind, and he now felt terrified, wondering if he'd also be scarred for life after this, or worse.

Scar in the meantime found Mufasa not far away from there. Both the king and Zazu were already looking rather puzzled as to why the herd was running down the gorge.

Scar reached them panting and out of breath. "Mufasa! Quick! Stampede! In the gorge!" he said between breaths.

Mufasa just looked at him startled for a few seconds.

"Simba's down there!" Scar said with more urgency in his voice.

"Simba?" Mufasa replied, looking terrified. He knew very well his son was in grave danger.

The king didn't wait to hear more and headed off towards the gorge, just like Scar had predicted, without asking for the aid of his Pride.

They reached the gorge soon enough, and Zazu dived in to try and spot Simba's location. He found him, still dangling on the dead tree, but the cub was getting tired and was losing his grip.

In the meantime, the hyenas were still keeping a close look at what was going on. They saw the bird fly off and alert Mufasa about Simba's whereabouts, and after that they saw the lion diving into the stampede to try and rescue the cub, just like Scar had said he would.

"Damn, that bastard knows his brother well..." Banzai chuckled, as he watched the action developing from their safe spot.

"There's a problem, though..." Shenzi said thoughtfully, "He didn't count on Mufasa bringing that stupid bird of his. If he happens to witness what Scar's about to do, then that's it. End of story."

"Can't we get rid of that bird somehow then?" Banzai asked.

"Not right now, no. We'd need to cross the gorge first and, as you can see, we'd probably get caught in traffic," she replied, sniggering slightly.

The hyenas remained silent for a moment, but Banzai broke the silence not soon after. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, all of a sudden.

"What? What?" Shenzi asked, looking at her brother and wondering why he was in pain.

"No, not me, the bird!" he replied, pointing towards the opposite side.

Shenzi looked harder, and spotted a bundle of blue feathers, lying still on the ground next to Scar.

"Huh? What the hell just happened?" she asked.

Banzai laughed, finding all this quite amusing. "No idea, I just saw Scar smacking him against the rocks real hard, whoo! You should've seen that!"

Shenzi smirked too. "I guess he was thinkin' on the same lines we were. Well if he ain't dead, let's hope at least he'll stay out for a while..."

Ed let out a worried laugh, and pointed towards Simba. Mufasa had managed to bring him to safety, and the cub was now standing on top of a tall rock, where the wildebeest could not reach him.

"Damn, it seems the cub's safe..." Shenzi muttered through clenched teeth.

The three hyenas watched as Mufasa tried to climb the rock too, but he was not able to make it on time. One of the wildebeest crashed against him and carried him along with the rest of the stampeding animals.

The hyenas, Scar and Simba all intently gazed into the bottom of the gorge, where no sign of Mufasa was to be seen.

"Do you think he's snuffed it?" Banzai asked excitedly.

Shenzi narrowed her eyes. "Hard to tell, can't see a thing anymore... let's move further down."

At that time, the hyenas heard a roar, and saw Mufasa sprinting out of nowhere, unto the steep walls of the gorge, trying to hold for dear life. The lion climbed up slowly but steadily.

Shenzi swore out loud. "This is _not_ turning out the way Scar wanted... And I was secretly hopin' we wouldn't have to fight the damn lion..." Shenzi said, looking slightly worried.

They looked down and saw that the herd was thinning considerably, the chances of Mufasa being trampled were becoming slimmer by the second.

"Keep an eye on Simba, Banzai, he seems to be on the move," Shenzi said.

Banzai looked and indeed, the cub was trying to make his way out of the gorge, heading to where his father was climbing.

"I can't see Mufasa climbing anymore, let's move-"

Shenzi was interrupted by the sound of someone roaring extremely loud and in pain.

The three hyenas hurried over, only to see Mufasa dangling by the steep wall, being held up by his brother. His life was now totally at Scar's mercy.

The hyenas held their breaths as they watched the scene from the other side.

Scar was indeed holding on to his brother with his sharp claws, trying to keep him from falling down by digging them deep into the flesh of his massive paws.

Mufasa was in pain, but he understood that his brother needed the extra grip to pull him up. But he wondered why Scar was taking so long. Why was he not helping him?

Scar stared deeply into his brother's eyes, with a maliciousness that Mufasa had never seen in his brother ever before. It frightened him in way he could not explain. Was this really happening to him? Did the hatred that Thembi instill in the cub would come to this?

Before he could ask any questions, Scar leaned over and whispered in Mufasa's ear, soft and clear, "Long live the King."

Mufasa's eyes widened considerably. In just a few seconds that felt like an eternity to Mufasa, it finally dawned on him that Scar would never forget the past. Thembi's mistakes left marks too hard to erase. If only Mufasa had seen this sooner... If only he hadn't been blinded by his desire to try and make everything right again for his younger brother...

He then realized that Simba, as heir to the throne, was also in danger, but by then Scar released his grip on Mufasa's paws, and sent the King tumbling down, back to the bottom of the gorge.

Mufasa screamed loudly, echoed by Simba's own scream. The cub had not seen what Scar had just done, as he was still trying to find a way out of the gorge, but when he heard his father screaming, he turned to look and saw Mufasa falling down, crashing hard into several sharp rocks, and then disappearing under the wildebeest's hooves.

Scar looked around, making sure there had been no witnesses other than the hyenas. Zazu was still lying unconscious, and Simba was nowhere to be seen.

"I did it... I finally did it... I can't believe it..." Scar said to himself. His front paws were trembling slightly, from holding Mufasa's weight, but also from the realization of what he had just done. The King was dead. Now all he had to do was deal with the Prince, and the throne was as good as his.

"No time to lose..." Scar said, and headed in Simba's general direction.

By then, the stampede was over, all that was left were some stray wildebeest that had separated from the herd, and a huge cloud of dust that would not be settling down any time soon.

Scar was guided by his sense of hearing, following Simba's screams as he called for his father.

The lion turned around quickly when he heard a rustling sound behind him. It was his three hyena friends, joining him with proud and satisfied grins on their faces. The rest of the hyenas lingered nearby, keeping guard in case the lionesses showed up unexpectedly.

Scar smirked at the hyenas, and whispered, "Now, it's the cub's turn..."

Banzai perked his ears and said, as he drooled a bit, "Why don't you leave him to us, Scar? I'm still peeved at how he got away the other day, when Mufasa came to his rescue..."

Shenzi nodded, "S'not a bad idea... We could finish him off for you, pal. Whaddeyesay?" Shenzi asked, feeling in the mood for a small snack before moving in to the Pride Lands.

Scar pondered for a moment. "Fine, you can take care of him. There's no Mufasa to rescue him now, so make sure that you finish the job this time. We'll meet by your old temporary den, once you've completed the task. I'll be waiting for you there."

The hyenas nodded, and followed Scar at a distance, while he looked for Simba.

Scar eventually found the cub, who was crying softly while snuggling under Mufasa's limp paw. Scar made sure that Mufasa's chest was completely still, before approaching any further.

The hyenas kept their distance and listened closely to Scar. While waiting for their cue, they heard the lion whispering the words _'and if it weren't for you, he'd still be alive...'_

"Oh... Now, that's low... Blaming the cub for all this..." Shenzi whispered at Banzai, "I tell you, that lion kinda scares me sometimes. It's not enough that the cub's gonna bite the dust, now he's messin' with his head too."

Banzai frowned slightly. "Let's hope that now Scar's got what he wanted, he'll be less of a psycho."

Ed chuckled in agreement.

"You know, he's more like his nasty father than he realizes..." Shenzi whispered, "Scar's doing to Simba exactly what Thembi did with Scar; blaming an innocent cub for a crime he didn't commit. Dunno if this is all part of his 'grand' plan of revenge or what, but yeah, way to follow on daddy's footsteps..."

Banzai snorted, "He'd kill you if he knew you'd just said that."

"Well, don't tell him then," Shenzi said, chuckling quietly.

"Shh!" Banzai interrupted her, as he saw Simba running away from Scar after the lion told the cub, "Run away, and never return!"

The three hyenas stood up and approached the lion from behind, waiting for his orders.

"Kill him," was all Scar had to say, and the hyenas gave chase.

* * *

><p>Scar made his way out of the gorge, stopping only to pick up Zazu, who was still unconscious. He then walked with the limp bird in his muzzle until he reached the place that used to be the hyena's temporary den when they were cubs. As agreed, he sat down to wait for the hyenas, who were to return here once they had taken care of Simba's death.<p>

Scar spat Zazu on the ground with more force than necessary, and as he waited, he cleaned his paws thoroughly, to remove any trace of Mufasa's blood and scent. Once he made sure his claws were completely clean, he took a deep breath and paced nervously from one side to another. He eventually sat on his haunches again, staring at the ground thoughtfully. He knew that the lionesses were probably starting to get worried; his walk with Simba was not supposed to take this long. They probably noticed that the wildebeest herd had banished from sight, so he expected that the lionesses would be restless, probably even planning to form a search party and go investigate...

The lion was distracted from his worries when he heard Zazu stirring. The bird looked around, feeling dazed and confused.

"S-Scar... Where are we? What happened?" he said, rubbing his head, which was hurting very badly.

"There was a stampede, remember?" Scar replied, "You were _supposed _to go find help, but instead I found you lying unconscious on the ground. I'm guessing you got hit by a wildebeest too?"

Zazu blinked a couple of times, he remembered warning Mufasa about Simba's whereabouts, but after that he couldn't remember anything.

"I- I have absolutely no idea what happened..." Zazu replied, and then looked at Scar with urgency in his eyes. "How's the King? And the Prince? Did they make it?"

Scar faked a deep sigh. "The King is no longer with us. As for little Simba, he was nowhere to be found, I presume he perished under the angry wildebeest..."

Zazu's eyes teared up instantly. "I can't believe it... The King... Gone... Just a few hours ago we were laughing together, and now, it's all over..."

Scar rolled his eyes, but Zazu was too distraught to notice.

"Someone will have to tell the Pride..." Zazu whispered.

"I'll take care of that," Scar replied.

"You? But..." Zazu said, but Scar interrupted him.

"As the next lion in line for the throne, it would be my duty, don't you think?" he asked, trying to look sad and pained.

Zazu's mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came. He realized Scar was right, and as much as he hated the idea, Scar was now King of Pride Rock.

Zazu shook his head for a moment. "If you'll excuse me... I need to clear my mind... This is just too much..." he stammered, and took off before Scar could say anything else.

Not long after, the hyenas emerged from among the bushes and walked to Scar. They had left Ed behind, supposedly keeping guard, but it was mainly due to his inability to lie. They were afraid that Scar would find out through Ed that they had, once again, failed in killing little Simba, who had managed to slip past them through a briar patch.

"It's done. That cub's no more," Shenzi announced, a bit too formally for her usual mannerisms.

Banzai nodded. "We did it quick and painless. Well, I'm guessing it was painless."

Scar nodded, feeling little remorse. "Good... Then it is time to return to Pride Rock. You can invite your clan over, just wait until I assume the throne before making your big entrance."

The hyenas nodded excitedly and ran off before Scar could ask any detailed questions about Simba's supposed death, when in reality the cub was still very much alive, and slowly starving and dying of thirst out there under the desert sun.

* * *

><p>Scar made his way back to the Pride Lands alone. As predicted, the lionesses were standing up, alert, scanning the horizon, looking for a sign from any of the pride's males. Only Ndani seemed to be absent.<p>

Karanga was the first one to spot Scar, and she ran to him, looking relieved. "Oh my son, thank heavens you're back, I was so worried! Where have you been?" she said, and looked around, expecting to see Simba with him. "Um... Where's Simba?" she added.

"There's been a terrible accident, mother," Scar whispered, trying to look sad. The lion looked straight into Karanga's eyes, and he realized that lying to her was easier than he thought it would be. It seemed to come naturally.

Karanga's eyes widened. "What happened?"

They were suddenly interrupted by Sarabi, who had noticed that Scar was back. She looked furious. "That's some walk you took! You were gone for hours! Simba has missed his meal, his bath and his nap! Where is my son?" she demanded.

Scar swallowed, feeling a bit more nervous now that he was facing the former queen. He looked around and saw the whole pride gathered around him now. He cleared his throat and spoke loudly and clearly. "My dear pride... there has been a terrible, terrible accident. I am very sorry to be the bringer of bad news, but... There was a stampede, in the gorge, and both Mufasa and Simba perished under the hooves of the wildebeest herd."

The lionesses gasped audibly and looked around with shocked expressions. They muttered amongst themselves, arguing that this could not be true.

Sarabi's mouth fell open, but for a moment she couldn't utter a word. "They- They are dead? Both of them?" she managed to say eventually, her voice cracking up.

Sarafina walked to Sarabi, looking extremely shocked, and faced Scar. "This makes no sense... Simba was under _your _care, and you know very well that we don't allow the cubs to play in the gorge! Why was he there? And when did Mufasa get involved? He was supposed to be patrolling!"

The lionesses nodded and stared at Scar, waiting for an explanation.

"Look, I know he was under my care, but you know how cubs are... He insisted on playing hide and seek. I would have never expected him to go and hide in the gorge, and probably he thought the same, that's probably the last place I'd look in!" Scar said, but all the lionesses were still staring at him accusingly, with tears building up in their eyes as the news started to sink in.

Scar went on, "I was looking for him when all of a sudden I heard a commotion in the gorge, by the time I looked, the wildebeest were already all over the place and I saw Simba hanging from a tree. I didn't know what to do, so I ran to Mufasa for help, hoping he could do something to stop the stampede... Instead he just dived right into the herd, and... That's the last I saw of him and Simba. I am very sorry."

Sarabi finally seemed to come out of her shock "Why didn't you help them?"

Scar growled at her slightly. "Because I panicked, okay? In case you have forgotten, I almost died in a stampede myself!" he said, pointing at his scar, "So instead of plunging into a certain death, I thought fetching Mufasa would be the best option. I thought that he, as King, could command them to stop and listen... but I guess I was wrong."

The lioness looked away, tears streaming down her face now uncontrollably. She still could not come to terms with the fact that she had lost her husband and son, all in one day. She felt extremely angry and wanted to lash at Scar so badly, for not keeping and eye on Simba and for bringing Mufasa into trouble.

Sarafina nuzzled her sister gently, whispering words of comfort to try and calm Sarabi down. The rest of the lionesses came closer and also showed their support to the former Queen, while Karanga remained by Scar's side.

The lion looked visibly upset, he could sense the grief and anger building up in the lionesses.

Scar turned to Karanga. "Mother, I know I should have kept a better eye on Simba, but they cannot blame me for this," he whispered, pointing at the rest of the pride with his paw, "The wildebeest were acting weird since the beginning, and I was nowhere near them when they stampeded. I am sorry that the cub was at the wrong place at the wrong time, but between you and me, it was not the first time that Simba went to play in places where he was not supposed to. Mufasa had confided to me one day that Simba had even ventured with Nala into the Elephant Graveyard once."

Karanga looked at him, rather surprised, her face tear-stained too. "He did? I didn't know that..."

Scar nodded. "They never told anyone, as far as I know. He only told me because I happened to hear it from the hyenas, so I questioned him about it."

Karanga stared at the ground, closing her eyes tight.

"I guess Simba just didn't expect the gorge to be that dangerous... Like I said, mother, it was an accident. It could have happened to any lioness on cub duty..."

"I know son, I know... Try to understand them though. This is a huge shock, for all of us. We've lost our King and Prince... Sarabi's lost a son _and _a husband... I feel the same impotence and grief that they are feeling, son. We can't help it right now."

Scar looked away for a moment. "How do you think I feel? I've lost a brother, just when we had started to finally get along. Believe it or not, this is as painful to you as it is to me. I saw them die, mother, the sight of that will haunt me forever," he said, feeling he was doing rather well at being dramatic.

Karanga nuzzled him gently. "I'm sorry... You are right... That must have been a terrible thing to witness..." she replied sincerely.

Scar said nothing, and looked up when he saw the shadow of Zazu cast on the ground. The bird was flying on top of them.

"Zazu!" Scar called.

The bird landed next to him, it was clearly obvious that he had been crying. "Yes... Sire?" he replied, whispering softly.

"Go and alert Rafiki that we're coming, tell him what happened. In the meantime, I will go back to the gorge. I could not locate Simba's body, but I know where Mufasa has fallen. The gorge is jackal territory, so it is important that we get Mufasa's body out there at once... The jackals were not there earlier, but who knows when they might return..." Scar said.

Zazu nodded and took off, heading towards Rafiki's baobab.

Scar cleared his throat and turned to the mourning pride. "I cannot carry my brother's body on my own. Would anyone care to assist me?" he addressed the lionesses in general.

The lionesses whispered among themselves, and after a few seconds, Sarafina looked up and faced Scar. "We'll all go," she said firmly, pointing towards the adult lionesses.

Sarafina then turned to Mahali, and asked her, "Honey, can you please go wake up Nala from her nap, and take her along with Tahlili and Shada straight to Rafiki's tree? I don't want them to come to the gorge, it could be dangerous..."

Mahali nodded. "Of course, Finnie... Er... Am I supposed to tell Nala what happened?"

"Do you think you can do it? It will be less of a shock then, when she sees us coming with Mufasa's body... If you can't, it's okay, I will talk to her when we're back," Sarafina replied.

Mahali shook her head. "It's all right, I can do this..."

"We'll be there too, we can help you," Shada said, nuzzling Mahali gently.

The adult lionesses gathered together and walked to Scar.

"Lead us to him," Sarabi said coldly, still refusing to believe what was going on. She hoped that this was all a bad dream and that she'd be waking up soon to Simba's playful licks on her face, and to Mufasa's gentle nuzzling.

Scar led the lionesses back to the gorge. Karanga walked quietly by his side, while the rest lagged a few paces behind, letting a few sobs out every now and then.

* * *

><p>Mahali returned to the cave, followed by Tahlili and Shada. Nala was still peacefully asleep, totally unaware of the tragedy that just happened.<p>

Mahali swallowed with difficulty, and bent over to nuzzle the sleeping lioness. "Nala... Wake up..." she said softly. Nala stirred and opened her eyes, sleepily. "Huh? Is it dinner time or something?" she asked, feeling confused.

Mahali shook her head. "No, Nala. I had to wake you up because we have to go to Rafiki's tree."

The cub sat up straight and yawned. "Rafiki's tree? How come? What's out there?"

Mahali looked at the other two lionesses standing beside her, biting her lip.

"How about you come with us and we will tell you along the way, okay?" Shada suggested.

Nala stood up and shook herself, still looking a bit sleepy. "Okay... Does mom know we're going there?"

"Yes," Tahlili replied, "she'll meet us there, actually."

Nala shrugged and followed the older lionesses out of the cave.

"So what's going on?" Nala asked once she felt more awake.

"Listen, Nala..." Mahali said, having gathered courage along the way, "Something has happened, something very bad."

Nala stopped walking for a moment, as she stared at Mahali.

Mahali walked to her and sat down next to the cub. "There was a stampede, in the gorge. King Mufasa and Simba were there when it happened."

Nala looked away, as she had a vague idea where this conversation was heading.

Mahali went on, "Unfortunately they could not make it out of the gorge on time."

"You mean..." Nala said, but couldn't finish her sentence.

Tahlili came closer and nuzzled the cub softly. "They both have gone to join the Kings of the Past, up in the sky, sweetie."

Nala suddenly felt as if her legs couldn't support her weight anymore. She flopped on the ground with a look of horror on her little face. "So I'll never see Simba again?" she asked the three lionesses.

Mahali shook her head, "Not for now, I think. But I am sure we will see them again, when our own time here runs out..." she whispered.

Nala stayed there motionless, too shocked to cry.

"Come, little one, we have to keep on moving. Rafiki is waiting for us..."

Nala tried to get up but her legs were shaking and gave up on her.

Mahali picked Nala up gently by the neck and carried her along the way instead. Tahlili and Shada helped and took turns to carry the cub towards the tree.

Once they reached Rafiki's place, he walked to them and took Nala from Shada's mouth, embracing the cub gently. The lionesses could tell that Rafiki had been crying too.

"Come," he told them as he sat down on the grass, "Let's wait for the others to return."

The lionesses sat down and huddled together, while Rafiki caressed Nala's head. "Poor little one," he thought, "losing your best friend, and perhaps more..."

Rafiki knew that the lion's tradition dictated that the prince would have to get married to the first lioness that was born after him, but since the time of Haraka's father's reign, the tradition had become more flexible. Old King Kafil had decreed that as King, he should be able to choose whomever he wanted to marry, and broke the tradition by marrying an older lioness instead.

King Haraka himself did follow the tradition, but he didn't look down on his son Thembi for choosing Kitok, who was the second lioness born after him. Huria was actually born first, but she and Thembi never really clicked together. Simba and Nala, however, had been inseparable, so he thought those two would be a couple for sure.

Rafiki came back to his senses when he heard Nala whispering softly.

"Simba was not a King yet... Do you think he can still join the kings of the past?"

Rafiki looked down at her and smiled warmly. "Of course he can, only his star might not be as bright, they say."

Nala looked up at the sky, darkness had fallen upon the Savannah and the stars were brightly visible now.

"Do you know where they are? Can you tell?"

Rafiki shook his head. "Not at the moment, no. Sometimes, with the help of my shell and a few enlightening dreams, I can tell. But not right now..."

Nala looked down again, finally tears were starting to form in her eyes. "If you talk to Simba, please tell him I say hi..." she said, her voice cracking up.

"Will do, little one, will do," Rafiki replied, petting her head softly.

Tahlili looked up. "Here they come..." she said.

They all stood up and saw Sarabi and Scar walking close together, carrying the body of Mufasa on top of them.

Sarabi looked devastated, after seeing the body of her husband devoid of life. The lionesses had searched around for Simba, but they had no other choice but to get used to the idea that there was no body to be found anymore. Maybe the jackals got to him earlier, they thought, with pain in their hearts.

Scar and Sarabi reached Rafiki and slowly they knelt on the ground, making Mufasa's body roll gently on to the grass in front of them.

Rafiki petted Mufasa's mane lovingly, and sighed deeply. The former King looked broken and bruised; it was obvious that the wildebeest had made little effort to avoid him. Blood had matted his fur so it was impossible to see the claw marks that Scar had left when he buried them on to Mufasa's paws before sending him down the gorge.

"Ah, Mufasa... It was not your time... you were too young..." Rafiki muttered, as the rest of the lionesses gathered around them, looking sad and somber.

Nala ran to Sarafina and snuggled between her front paws, "Mommy... I miss Simba..." she said.

"We all do, sweetie... but we have to be strong..." she whispered and licked the tears away from her daughter's face.

Sarafina had been doing an excellent job in keeping the lionesses calm and focused, but the loss of Mufasa, whom she secretly loved, came as a very painful blow to her. Only Mahali and Sarabi knew what Mufasa meant to her, so she tried to keep up a strong facade for now. There would be plenty of time to mourn for him later, in private.

Rafiki in the meantime cleaned up Mufasa's pelt as best as he could with some water, and then looked at Scar expectantly.

Scar was not sure what to do, as he had never witnessed a royal burial before and Thembi never told him anything about it, so he turned to Karanga and whispered, "Mother... Is something expected from me at this point?"

Karanga blinked a couple of times, realizing how little Scar knew about some of the Pride's traditions. She couldn't blame him, of course, so she gladly offered her assistance.

"A farewell speech is in order, my son," she said, "After that, we will return to Pride Rock and Rafiki will bury Mufasa along with the rest of the royal family."

Scar nodded. He stood over Mufasa's broken body and said solemnly, "The Pride Lands has lost a mighty and noble King. Let us all hope that he will watch over us from above, alongside with the young Prince, and protect us," he said, his words completely empty of meaning. Scar was just craving to go back to Pride Rock and assume the throne already.

"Farewell, Brother," he went on, "You and your son shall be missed."

Scar stepped aside and allowed the lionesses to say their last goodbyes to Mufasa. One by one the lionesses paid their respects and lined up behind Scar, ready to follow the new King home.

Sarabi broke down in tears once it was her turn to say farewell, sobbing so hard that she could hardly breathe.

Sarafina told the rest of the Pride, "Go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a bit..."

Scar and the lionesses nodded and made their way back slowly, heading to Pride Rock.

Sarafina returned to Sarabi, while Rafiki walked away a few paces to give them some privacy.

"Sarabi..." she said, and finally broke down in tears along with her sister, "Oh Sarabi, this is terrible, my heart can't stand it! I can't imagine how you feel..." she cried, as Sarabi snuggled her wet face on her sister's neck.

"I know, Finnie... It feels as if I am being ripped apart slowly... I've never even imagined my life without them, and now..."

The two lionesses cried over the body of their beloved lion, finding small comfort in each other.

They cried for what it felt like hours to them, but finally managed to regain their composure when they saw Rafiki approaching.

"It is time, my dears..." he said, patting both lionesses on the back.

The lionesses nodded and licked Mufasa's cheek for the last time.

"Goodbye, we will never forget you..." Sarafina whispered, and both lionesses walked back to Pride Rock quietly, each one dealing with their own sorrow.

Rafiki waited until they had disappeared in the distance and commenced Mufasa's burial. He too shed some tears as he worked hard, and he looked forward to consulting his shell to find what consequences would this disastrous event bring to the Pride Lands.


	5. The Dawning of a New Era

_Chapter 5_

**The Dawning of a New Era**

It was deep late in the night when the pride returned to Pride Rock. The lionesses were too distraught to notice the presence of the hyenas, who had already made their way into the lion's territory and remained well hidden for now.

Every now and then Scar thought he could pick up their scent, but he knew the lionesses' sense of smell was not at its best at the moment, due to their constant crying. He glanced back at the lionesses several times but none of them had shown signs of picking up the intruders' smell.

When they finally reached Pride Rock, they were greeted by Ndani, who looked relieved to see them.

"Just where the hell were you all? I was beginning to get worried! Not even the cubs are around!" she yelled at her pride mates as she made her way down Pride Rock.

Huria looked up and glared at her. "We were at the King's funeral," she said through clenched teeth, "The question is, where were _you_?"

"What? The King's funeral? What are you on about?" Ndani asked, ignoring Huria's question. She looked around and saw all the tear-stained faces.

"If this is a prank you're pulling on me to teach me some sorta lesson, you guys are goin' too far..." Ndani said, feeling disgusted.

"It's not a prank, dear," Karanga replied, "Both Mufasa and Simba have died at the gorge, because of a stampede."

Ndani knew for sure Karanga would never play part on a prank of that sort, so it had to be true.

"I can't believe this..." she muttered to herself.

Scar glanced around them, he could see several pairs of eyes glinting in the moonlight, hidden amongst the bushes and behind trees and rocks. The hyenas were all around them, it was a matter of time before one of the lionesses noticed too.

"Please, gather round," he told the pride, and climbed up a small rock so that everyone could see and hear him clearly.

The lionesses sat down around him, they knew what was coming, Scar was going to claim the throne.

"I would have never thought a day like this would come," he said, "No one could have prepared us for anything like it... Mufasa's death is a terrible tragedy, but to lose Simba, who had barely begun to live..."

Scar made a pause for dramatic effect, as he watched the lionesses tear up again, all but one. Scar noticed that Ndani, who had not been crying and whose sense of smell was unhindered, was sniffing the air.

Scar went on, before Ndani could say anything. "To me, it is a deep and personal loss. So it is with a heavy heart that I assume the throne."

Ndani turned to look at him, and then looked around the Pride Lands. "He's the new King... No wonder they're here..." she thought to herself as she heard Scar speaking.

"Yet, out of the ashes of this tragedy, we shall rise to greet the dawning of a new era, in which lion _and_ hyena come together, in a great and glorious future!" Scar said, as he climbed up Pride Rock to claim the throne.

The lionesses in the meantime looked around, as they heard eerie laughter coming from all sides. They finally realized that they had been surrounded by hyenas all this time, and glanced around in shock.

Scar let out a loud roar, proclaiming himself the new King of Pride Rock. The lionesses were supposed to roar in return, but all of them were too shocked to do so.

Instead, the hyenas were the ones who cheered and whooped for Scar. "Long live the King!" they yelled.

The pride had huddled together, unsure of what to do at this point. Hyenas were circling them, sizing the lionesses up, which made the fur on their backs stand on end.

"Scar!" Sarabi finally dared to yell, trying to make herself heard over the commotion around her.

The lion heard her and made his way down the promontory, approaching his shocked pride, while hyenas here and there bowed at him in an exaggerated fashion.

"What is it, Sarabi?" he asked, looking nonchalant, just as Shenzi, Banzai and Ed joined him, a few steps behind.

"What's the meaning of all this? Couldn't you have had the decency to wait until the burial was carried out and the mourning period was over, before bringing this vermin over here?" she snapped, not able to contain her anger at the disrespect Scar was showing to her late husband.

Some of the hyenas heard this and snarled at Sarabi, baring their teeth.

"You might wanna watch that mouth of yours from now on, kittycat," growled one of them.

Karanga tried to intervene before things got out of hand.

"Everyone, please, calm down," she said, hoping to soothe both the angry lionesses and the growling hyenas, "we're all too shocked and distraught, we're not thinking straight, let's just... let's just try and stay calm, okay?"

Scar nodded as he stood next to his mother and addressed the lionesses.

"You all know that I was never in favor of the way my father made certain distinctions. Now, I can finally make a difference. So as of today, I decided that there would no longer be a ban on the hyena kind here. The hyenas are free to come and go as they please, just like anyone else, with the exception that they will not hunt you, and you will not hunt them. We're all a big pride now."

"More like a big clan, given we're the majority..." Shenzi added, while Banzai chuckled.

Scar rolled his eyes and pulled Shenzi close to him, a bit roughly. "Allow me to introduce you to them," he said.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, easy boy!" the hyena muttered.

"This is Shenzi, the leader of the clan. Any questions, complaints, or general feedback concerning the hyenas, you will handle it with her directly."

The lionesses looked at Shenzi, still clearly not over the initial shock yet.

"There, there," Scar went on, "you all can get acquainted now. In the meantime I have some things to deal with Zazu, so I'll talk to you all later," Scar said, and made his way back to the promontory, motioning with his head for the bird to follow him.

"Well! What can I say?" Shenzi said, giving the lionesses her widest grin, "It's a pleasure to be here!"

The hyena looked at the pride, trying to identify the most dominant lioness, without success. They all looked the same to her.

Nala in the meantime had managed to recognize the three hyenas that once tried to eat her and Simba, and cringed behind Sarafina's paws in fear.

Sarafina licked the cub's head reassuringly and whispered, "It's all right, mom's here..."

Shenzi cleared her throat loudly. "So... Who's in charge around here? Other than Scar, I mean?" she asked to the lionesses in general.

The lionesses remained silent, Sarafina still hugging Nala protectively.

"I can't deal with this right now, I just can't..." Sarabi whispered.

Karanga gave Sarabi a quick nuzzle, and decided to step forward and deal with the hyena herself.

"Sarabi was King Mufasa's wife, but you understand, given the circumstances, that she might not be in a position to talk to anyone right now. My name is Karanga, and as former Queen during Thembi's reign, for the time being you can address your concerns to me."

Shenzi looked at her and smiled. "So you're Karanga, huh? We've heard about ya, Scar always talked wonders about ya, ya know."

Karanga couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Anyway, listen up," Shenzi went on, "As Scar said, we don't want no huntin' or preyin' on hyenas, and I'll make sure the clan doesn't bug you guys either."

"Sounds fair," Karanga replied a bit curtly, "perhaps I can suggest a few other rules to go by?"

Shenzi shrugged. "Fire away..."

"No stealing from each other's hunt. What your clan catches belongs to you, and what our pride catches will be ours only, unless either party willingly decides to share. How does that sound?" Karanga asked.

Shenzi pondered for a moment. "Yup, that sounds good to me."

Karanga turned to the rest of the lionesses and asked, "Does anyone else have any suggestions you can think of?"

Sarabi looked up and replied with a firm tone, "The cave at Pride Rock must be off limits to them."

Shenzi frowned. "Scar said we could go wherever we wanted here."

Sarabi looked her in the eye and repeated, "Yes, but the cave is off limits. It is _our _shelter. Just as we won't be invading your new homes, I expect you to leave ours alone."

Shenzi glanced backwards towards the cave. "I bet it stinks of lions to hell and back in there anyway..." she thought.

"Fine," the hyena agreed after a few moments of consideration, "but if there are any other restrictions like this one, then we want to hear them from Scar himself."

Karanga nodded and Sarabi looked away, grief taking over her anger again.

Karanga glanced towards Banzai and Ed, who were lingering close to Shenzi, but were too distracted looking around to actually listen in to the negotiations.

"My son talked about three specific hyenas often... Are you them?" Karanga ventured to ask.

Shenzi nodded and pointed towards her siblings. "That's Banzai, and that's Ed. Don't worry about Ed, he's less scary than he looks."

Karanga nodded, as she knew well what Thembi had done to Ed when he had caught him and his family trespassing in the Pride Lands.

In the meantime, Ndani approached Karanga slowly and muttered as she glanced at Banzai, "I know that hyena, I've met him by the border. He's kinda cool actually..."

Huria snorted derisively when she heard Ndani's comment. "No wonder... I should have known that she'd been mingling with them too..." she whispered, loud enough for Ndani to hear.

"What?" Ndani snapped at her, "You gonna chew my head off just 'cause I happened to miss the funeral, and 'cause I met _one_ hyena sometime?"

Huria didn't bother to whisper any more. "It's like you don't even belong to this pride anymore! You're never around and when you are, all you do is stupid-"

Ndani let out an angry roar before Huria could finish her sentence.

"Girls, calm down! This is not the time, okay?" Sarafina said through clenched teeth, and pointed with her paw at Sarabi, who was clearly having a very difficult time right now.

The two lionesses remained silent, throwing silent but deadly glares at each other.

Karanga turned to Shenzi again. "I think we will all retreat to the cave for now. We are still in mourning so we would like some peace and quiet to deal with our loss."

"No prob," Shenzi replied, "we'll go scout the terrain and get to know our new neighborhood!" she said excitedly.

She walked away and called Banzai and Ed along, who followed her without hesitation. The rest of the hyenas followed her not long afterwards, whooping and looking as happy as they never did before.

Sarafina let out a loud sigh once the hyenas were far enough. "I don't like this, not one bit..." she whispered, while the rest of the pride, except Ndani, nodded in agreement.

"Mom... I have something to tell you..." Nala whispered, still looking rather scared.

"What is it, honey?" she said, as they made their way to the cave.

"We... We were very bad once, Simba and I, and went to check out the elephant graveyard..."

Sarafina stopped on her tracks, while the rest of the lionesses pricked their ears to listen better.

"You did what? What happened?" Sarafina asked her sternly.

Nala bit her lip for a moment. "Those three hyenas Karanga was just talking to... Well, they'd found us, and then, they chased us all over the place and tried to eat us..."

Sarafina growled deeply and for a moment she felt the urge to give chase to the unsuspecting hyenas, who were making themselves at home.

"It's okay though!" Nala added, as if to make things better, "It was a while ago anyway, and King Mufasa came and rescued us and he kicked the hyenas' butts. They claimed they didn't know Simba was the Prince, but they did all right! Zazu had told them!"

Sarafina's eyes widened. "Zazu knew about this and he never told me?" she asked in surprise.

Nala shook her head, realizing she had accidentally gotten the bird in trouble, "Those were Mufasa's orders; we all said we'd keep it a secret, we crossed our hearts even. But now... Those three hyenas are here... I'm afraid they might try to eat me again..." she admitted.

Sarafina let out a deep sigh, realizing it was no use scolding Nala for something that had happened in the past, and which Mufasa had already dealt with.

"That won't happen, sweetie," she replied soothingly, "You heard them yourself, we are not allowed to prey on each other, by orders of the new King."

Nala still looked afraid, so Sarafina reassured her further, "Besides, I'll keep a good eye on you all the time, no hyena will dare to come near you with your mother on full guard, isn't that true?"

Nala smiled slightly and nodded.

"Come," Sarafina said as she pushed the cub gently with her nose, "it's been a long night, and you need some rest."

The lionesses settled down in the cave, while Sarabi had a hard time not breaking down in tears.

"Their scent still lingers here... I can't stand it..." she whispered, while Anasa and Sita nuzzled her face, to try and dry her tears.

"You must be strong, Sarabi... These are going to be difficult times, with that oaf as king... We'll need your guidance..." Huria added.

Sarafina listened to them quietly. She too was inhaling the air and catching Mufasa's scent, which would inevitably fade over time. She'd swear to herself she'd enjoy it for as long as it lasted, and she'd keep it in her memory so as not to forget what Mufasa once meant to her.

* * *

><p>Scar had climbed up the promontory again, and admired the view. He could see the lionesses talking to Shenzi, while the rest of the clan looked around for a nice spot to settle down and take a nap.<p>

Zazu was standing beside Scar, trembling visibly.

Scar glanced down from the corner of his eye and said, "For crying out loud, compose yourself, you stupid bird."

Zazu swallowed. "I'm sorry, sire." He tried to calm himself down while awaiting for the King's orders.

Scar in the meantime was enjoying keeping Zazu in suspense, and thus took his time before addressing him again.

"Things have changed, as you can see, Zazu," he finally said, "and against all odds, here I am. King of the Pride Lands. What would my Father say now, hmm?"

Zazu only listened to him intently, not having anything constructive to add at this point.

Scar went on with a nasty grin, as he pictured Thembi's face contorted in rage. "Along with these changes, I believe a change of staff is also in order."

Zazu's eyes widened. "Sire?"

"You already betrayed me once, how can I be sure you won't do it again?" the lion asked, as he extended and retracted the claws of his right paw repeatedly, making Zazu even more nervous than he already was.

"I've told you before Scar- I mean, Sire, I did not say a word to Thembi! Rafiki is my witness, he was there, ask him!" the bird replied, clearly afraid of losing his job, or worse, his life.

Scar looked down, deep into Zazu's eyes. "I will give you one more chance to prove yourself. If you fail me again, I'll lock you up in a place so small you won't be able to extend those wings ever again, and I'll leave you there until you wither and die. Is that clear, Zazu?"

"Crystal clear, sire..." Zazu replied, not liking the sound of being threatened like this at all.

"Good," Scar added, "now, I want you to go around and spread the word about Mufasa's death, and my rising to the throne. Make sure to tell them I won't accept any condolences. The sooner we move on, the better. I don't want to be constantly reminded about my brother's death. Understood?"

Zazu nodded once more, "I'll do it right away, sire." He took off, once Scar had turned around and left without another word.

In the meantime, having taken care of the burial, Rafiki had headed to Pride Rock to notify the new King. But he was rather shocked at the sight of the hyenas in the Pride Lands. He sat for a while on a rock, watching them from afar, shaking his head with a sad expression on his face. Once he had calmed down, Rafiki continued his way to Pride Rock, showing no fear.

Scar was walking down the promontory when he noticed Rafiki approaching. The lion glanced curiously to the hyenas that were near the baboon's path, and wondered if they would give the old monkey a good scare, but on the contrary, it seemed Rafiki's healing charms were known by the hyenas too, since most of them greeted him, some even bowing politely.

"Hello, Batu, how's that toothache?" he heard the baboon ask, petting a young playful pup on his head, while his mother smiled gratefully.

Scar snorted slightly and waited for Rafiki to come to him.

"I never knew you tended to the hyenas' needs as well," Scar said once Rafiki was within earshot.

Rafiki shrugged, "Why not? I'm not the type who will send away someone in need, you know," he replied.

Scar sat on his haunches, but Rafiki remained standing, leaning on his staff and looking at the lion thoughtfully.

"What's the matter?" Scar asked.

"I just came to confirm that Mufasa's burial has taken place. But I hadn't expected to find the hyenas here. They say you've lifted the ban, is that so?"

"Yes. I've let them in," Scar replied, defiantly. "I trust you don't have any objections."

"You're the King, it's your decision," Rafiki said, "Just... A word of advice, if I may?"

Scar nodded, willing to hear what Rafiki had to say.

"Bear in mind that previous Kings who have attempted the same type of alliance have failed, in similar ways."

Scar frowned. "How's that?"

"Well... Did you ever hear your father talking about the balance in the Great Circle of Life?"

Scar shook his head. "No, although I think I heard Mufasa ranting about it some time," he admitted.

Rafiki went on, "Lions and hyenas are natural enemies... I know it sounds harsh, but due to this constant war between you two, you both keep your own numbers at bay. By making an alliance with them, the hyenas, already more numerous than your pride, will keep on procreating and consuming more resources than you have available here."

Scar looked around. "Just look at this place, old fool, it's enough to feed three clans of hyenas all together."

"Right now, perhaps. But what about the drought? Or when the wildebeest leave?"

Scar dismissed Rafiki's worries with a wave of his paw. "Psh, we'll manage, you just worry too much. Shenzi's a good leader, I'm quite sure we can work things out together."

Rafiki knew it would be of no use to pursue this further right now, it was already too late. The hyenas would not be going anywhere.

"Is there anything you might need help with?" Rafiki dared to ask, knowing very well that Scar lacked a lot of the knowledge to rule the kingdom properly.

"No, no, you may go back to your tree, I'll send Zazu for you if you're needed," Scar replied curtly.

Rafiki nodded and headed back to his baobab, his mind racing with thoughts and ideas on how to guide Scar during his time of ruling. The baboon knew the inexperienced lion had bitten more than he could chew, by inviting the hyenas over. For an experienced King, it was already a difficult task to rule the Kingdom without the hyenas in them, so he wondered how long it would be before Scar admitted he'd made a mistake.

Once Rafiki reached his tree, he sat on a branch and let out a deep sigh, curling his legs up towards his chest. He thought of Mufasa and Simba, and couldn't help letting some tears flow. Poor little Simba, he thought, as he glanced at his tree trunk and spotted the painting he had made of the cub several months ago. He tried to erase it with his hand, but the paint had dried up. All his hand did was leave a smear across it.

He thought about washing it away with some water, but something deep inside him told him to just leave the painting be. Rafiki listened to his heart and instead went to take some rest; it also had been a very long day for him.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the lionesses got up feeling rather tired. The laughter of the hyenas that had settled nearby kept them awake, and Mufasa and Simba's death lingered in their minds all the time, preventing them from falling asleep. They looked around, but Scar was nowhere to be seen, they even wondered if he had slept in the cave at all.<p>

Scar did attempt sleeping in the cave for a while, but Mufasa's scent made him feel uncomfortable. He'd made a point to ask Rafiki if he could do anything about the scents in the cave, but until then he'd rather sleep outside with the hyenas.

Shenzi and her siblings had secured a high spot with good visibility, where they could survey the terrain and keep an eye on the lionesses at Pride Rock, and Scar had joined them in the middle of the night.

"Looks like your pride's up..." Shenzi said as she stretched herself and breathed in the fresh air around her.

Scar turned around and spotted the lionesses coming out of the cave. They began grooming each other, looking a bit sad. Nala, who was usually rather playful after waking up, sat close to Sarafina's side instead, staring at the ground and missing her favorite playmate terribly.

The lion stretched himself too and shook the dust and grass off his pelt. "I'll see you later, there's... something I need to take care of," he said, and walked away, in the direction of the lionesses.

Banzai waited until Scar was out of earshot and then whispered to Shenzi, "You don't think it's true, what they say about lions, do you?"

"What you goin' on about?" Shenzi asked.

"Well, when we were pups, mom and Kipawa were talkin' one day. Mom was going on about her usual peace talks but I heard Kipawa say that lions were barbarians who killed helpless cubs and it would be for our own good to stay away from the likes of them."

"Oh, that..." Shenzi said thoughtfully, and looked at Scar as he made his way to Pride Rock. "I've heard about it but never seen it with my own eyes."

The two hyenas remained silent for a couple of seconds, until Banzai's morbid curiosity gave in. "Wanna go check it out?"

Ed nodded repeatedly in reply.

Shenzi chuckled and shook her head. "You two are sick. Fine, let's go see if the rumours are true..."

The hyenas stood up and followed Scar at a considerable distance, so that he would not tell them off.

Scar reached the pride, who muttered an unenthusiastic 'good morning' when they saw him approaching. Karanga, as usual, greeted him with a gentle nuzzle. "Good morning, son. Did you have trouble sleeping too?" she asked.

"Yes," Scar admitted, "There is a lot in my mind right now, my thoughts are all over the place."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" she offered.

Scar shook his head and looked around at the rest of lionesses, still busy with their grooming session. "I learned very little from my father," he said, loud enough for them to hear, "but I happened to overhear a certain lesson between him and Mufasa. It had to do with... ensuring your heritage, or something on those lines?"

His words had the desired effect. The lionesses froze in mid-groom and looked up, their full attention focused on the lion.

Karanga swallowed hard and was at a loss of words for a change. "Of all lessons, why did you have to listen in on that one in particular?" she thought. Karanga, just like every other lioness, deeply hated this law and would love to see it disappear into oblivion.

Scar circled the lionesses and stopped when he reached Shada, Tahlili and Mahali. The three lionesses knew the law, so they huddled together close, trying to comfort each other.

The lion studied the three young lionesses carefully, not saying a word, but it was Anasa, Mahali's mother, who broke the silence.

"They're old enough, all three of them!" she said firmly, "They are already training to be huntresses, and will have their First Hunt soon. Please..."

Karanga joined Anasa in pleading. "They're not cubs anymore. I know they will be a great asset to the Pride, they all have great potential..." she said, fearing for the life of her two daughters.

Scar smiled to himself and patted Shada, the youngest one, gently on the head. "I trust you three will live to your mothers' expectations."

The lionesses nodded, trembling slightly, but sighed in relief once Scar walked away, leaving them unscathed.

Mahali ran to Anasa and the two of them spent some time nuzzling and comforting each other.

"That leaves us with... you," Scar said, as he walked towards Nala resolutely.

Nala looked up. She was too young to be aware of what was going on, and didn't understand why the atmosphere had suddenly changed from sadness into panic.

Sarafina shielded Nala with her paws, and looked at Scar defiantly. "You're not touching her."

Scar rolled his eyes. "Nala, come here," he ordered.

Nala knew better than to disobey the King, and she made her way towards Scar, slightly hesitant.

"Nala, no!" Sarafina hissed.

"What's the matter, mom?" she asked, glancing between Scar and Sarafina, as she felt the tension rising.

The lion looked down at Nala, his mind racing, trying once again to identify any of his features in this little lioness, anything that would confirm that he was the father of this cub. Unfortunately, Nala had taken more to her mother, and it was rather difficult for him to see whether this was his or Mufasa's descendant. Still, Nala had those beautiful green eyes. Kitok's eyes, they said, something he had also heard often about his own eyes.

As he stared at the cub, Sarafina broke down in tears. "Please, don't hurt her. You know you can't do this..."

"And why is that?" Scar asked her, wondering whether she'd finally dare to tell in front of the lionesses that she had spent a night with him, and that Nala could be his own cub.

Sarafina swallowed hard but didn't dare to answer his question or to share her secret with the pride. "Please... I beg you, I'll do anything... Anything you want... I... I'll even... I'll be your Queen..."

Scar frowned and forgot about Nala for a moment. He stared at Sarafina and paced back and forth in front of her, clearly upset.

"How very generous of you... However, I couldn't miss the fact that you talk as if becoming my wife and queen would be the biggest _sacrifice _you could do in order to spare your daughter. "

Sarafina looked at him with wide eyes. "No- No, that's not what I meant, I'm sorry, that came out wrong... I thought- I... I'm just-"

"Rambling," Scar interrupted her. He walked away from Sarafina, looking angrier than they had seen him in the past few days; it was clear to the lionesses that Sarafina's words stung him deeply.

"I have to admire your overblown sense of self-worth... Thinking that I would choose _you_ as my Queen?" he let out a derisive chuckle. It felt good to humiliate her in public, as payback for the many times she hurt him when they were young.

Sarafina gritted her teeth but remained quiet.

"No, Sarafina, I do believe you are a beautiful lioness, but you mean nothing to me. So your humble sacrifice is of no relevance to me."

"Liar..." she muttered, but noticed all eyes were on her and didn't say more.

"Back to the matter at hand..." Scar said and sat down next to Nala again.

The cub looked up at him, perhaps more confused than she was before.

"You see, Nala, when a lion takes over the pride, it is his duty to make sure that he'll preserve his lineage. Do you understand what I am saying?" he asked.

Nala looked at him, then at her mother, and then back at him. "Sorry, not really..."

Scar took a deep breath and told her simply, "It means that the new King has to kill all the existing cubs, fathered by someone else, and create his own cubs instead."

Sarafina sobbed loudly, while the rest of the lionesses tried to comfort her.

Nala blinked a few times as the words sank in. She stared at Scar's massive claws sticking out of his paw, and she knew she wouldn't stand a chance. She opted for making herself as small as possible, tucking her tail and ears, and begged, "Please don't kill me, please..."

The hyenas had been listening in and held their breaths, waiting to see if Scar would administer the final blow.

But Scar didn't move a muscle for several seconds. The only sound disrupting the silence were the lionesses' sobs.

Scar looked around and cleared his throat. "Lucky for you, I'm a King who likes to do things differently," he told the cub.

Nala looked up and perked her ears, hopeful.

Scar went on, "There has been enough blood shed here for the past few hours. I see no reason why I should add more to it. Besides, I've already bent some of the rules, what's one more?"

The lionesses all perked up their ears now, muttering amongst themselves, "Did you hear that?"

Scar bent over and whispered at Nala, "Go back to your mother now."

Nala nodded quickly, glad to be able to return to Sarafina's side.

The lionesses licked and nuzzled the cub as they shed tears of happiness. They were not able to remember the last time a new King actually spared one of the young, so they were quite shocked by Scar's decision. All but Sarafina were thanking him for having had mercy on Nala.

Shenzi approached Scar and muttered from behind, "Psh, 'Scar the Merciful'... Well played, pal."

Scar dismissed the lionesses and turned to Shenzi. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, knowing very well that the lionesses' opinion of him had changed considerably thanks to this stunt.

Banzai chuckled along and added, "Did you see their faces? You went from 'This dude sucks' to 'This dude might kick ass after all!', I tell ya!"

Shenzi nodded in agreement. "Her mom still looks pissed, though. Ye reckon she secretly wanted to be your Queen?"

Scar frowned. "Just how long had you guys been listening in anyway?"

The three hyenas laughed together in reply.

"Off you go now!" Scar told them off, his bared teeth clearly letting the hyenas know that they were crossing the line and that he was not planning on discussing his romantic affairs with them.

The hyenas ran off, still giggling and feeling in a rather good mood.

Scar sighed as he watched them leave and turned to the pride again, who was now making preparations for the upcoming hunt. The mourning period was over, and life went on in the Savannah, which meant they had to get back to their usual tasks, or risk facing hunger.

Sita had suggested that Sarabi should stay behind, but the former Queen disagreed.

"I don't want to stay here, alone, with those hyenas... please let me come with you, I really want to... It'll take my mind of things," she insisted.

Sarafina looked down at Nala, curled into a ball next to her paws, and who was still trembling slightly after the scare she had just received.

"Could I be excused today, in that case?" she asked, "I'd like to stay with my cub, she's still pretty shaken..."

The lionesses agreed, and called Ndani to fill in for Sarafina.

"All right!" Ndani exclaimed with enthusiasm, as she feared she would be placed in guard duty again.

Karanga approached Scar, looking excited at the prospect of a thrilling hunt ahead.

"We will go hunting now, son. Kuuliza, Sarafina and the young girls will stay behind. It will be your first meal as King, so I'll try and see if we can catch something nice and big."

Scar smiled at her. "Don't worry, mother, anything you catch is fine by me."

She returned the smile. "All we need is your blessing now."

Scar nodded and approached the huntresses, who were warming up and stretching their muscles for the run. "Good luck to you all and take care," he told them.

"Thanks," The lionesses replied, sounding slightly more enthusiastic than earlier that day.

As the lionesses left, Scar roared at them for good luck, and they actually roared back, for the very first time, at their new King.

Scar watched them leave for a while, feeling rather satisfied. He eventually woke from his reverie when he saw a group of young hyenas frolicking nearby.

"Batu!" he called one of them.

The young male pup heard his name being called, and approached the King with a curious expression.

"You called, Scar, er, sir?" he said, trying to sound polite.

"You know where to find Rafiki, right?" Scar asked.

The hyena nodded. "He fixed my tooth!" he said, pointing at a cheek that had been very swollen at some point.

"Perhaps you could do this one task for me... Could you go to his tree, and ask him to come and see me? Normally I would send Zazu, but he's not back yet."

Batu nodded again, more enthusiastically. "Sure! Can do!"

"Ask him to bring some concoction or something, to clear odors from enclosed spaces, will you?"

The pup blinked a couple of times. "Um, sorry, didn't catch that... Some what, to do what?"

"Just tell him I want the cave cleansed and the smells in it gone. He'll know what to do," Scar replied, starting to lose his patience.

The pup nodded. "Okay, got it! Bye then!"

Batu saluted Scar playfully and ran off to complete his task. The lion turned around, climbed up the promontory, and lay there while admiring his beautiful Kingdom.


	6. Lioness Talk

_Chapter 6_

**Lioness Talk**

After the hunting party left, Sarafina led the younger lionesses towards the acacia trees near Pride Rock, while old Kuuliza preferred to stay in the cave.

The area around the acacias was a pleasant spot to baby-sit cubs; the trees provided shelter from the sun and the rain, and as an added bonus, the lionesses had good visibility to spot any intruders approaching. Sarafina only hoped that there wouldn't be too many hyenas nearby; their presence still made her rather nervous.

"Look, there's some nice shadow over there," Tahlili pointed out.

"Looks like a good place indeed, come on girls," Sarafina replied.

The lionesses followed her and settled down under the inviting shade of one of the trees. Nala was still not her usual self, so Sarafina picked her up gently and cradled her between her front paws.

"What would you like to do, my little one? How about a story? Or a bath?" Sarafina asked, hoping to cheer her up.

"I want to play with Simba," the cub replied, and broke down in huge sobs that she could not hold back any longer.

Sarafina felt a knot forming in her throat and for a moment she couldn't say anything, she simply nuzzled Nala gently and tried to dry the cub's face with her tongue.

Shada bit her lip thoughtfully and said, "We'll play with you, wouldn't that be fun? You can choose any game you want!"

Nala shook her head as she buried her nose in her mother's pelt. She just realized that she would never play with Simba again, under these trees, like they always did. A feeling of emptiness had overwhelmed her.

"I know it's hard, we miss him too," Tahlili said, "but think about it, I don't think Simba likes to see you sad and crying. Remember he watches over you now? I'm sure he would prefer to see you playing and running around."

Nala looked at Tahlili and then at the bright blue sky, but there was no consoling her.

"Just let her cry, she needs it right now," Sarafina whispered, and they remained silent for a while.

While Nala cried, the other four lionesses watched with curiosity how a group of five hyena pups walked by, further away, looking quite lost.

"Told you it was that way, dimwit!" one of them said, looking sulky.

One of the pups looked around and spotted the lionesses. "Hey!" she yelled at them, from a distance.

Sarafina perked her ears. "No need to yell, come closer, we won't hurt you."

The hyena hesitated for a moment, but eventually gathered the courage and approached the lionesses. The others followed, keeping a safe distance.

"Tell me where the waterhole is," she demanded, sounding a bit rude.

Mahali raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you learned yet how to say please?"

The pup rolled her eyes and repeated, "Please tell me where the waterhole is."

"Hmmph," Mahali said, not liking the little pup's attitude, "you just need to follow that trail, you'll see it in no time."

The pup smiled triumphantly and turned to her friends. "See? I knew it! Told ya! C'mon, let's go check it out!"

"Wait, wait," Mahali called them before they ran off, "are you planning to go there on your own?"

"Um, yeah, the five of us," the pup replied.

"It could be dangerous for someone as young as yourselves, why don't you ask a grown-up to go with you?"

The hyena frowned. "King Scar said we could go anywhere and you can't do us nothin'!"

Mahali couldn't help but chuckle. "Do you think the crocodiles know about King Scar's new rules, which by the way, only apply to our pride and your clan?"

The hyena's expression softened slightly. "There's crocodiles in there?"

"Not all the time, but there could be, that's why I think you should ask a grown-up to go with you, just in case."

The hyena sat on her haunches for a moment. "No one wanted to tag along, they said they wasn't thirsty 'n stuff..." she said, sounding disappointed.

Shada couldn't help but smile at the pup. She had had little contact with hyenas in general, but never with a pup. She thought they were kind of cute and amusing in their own way.

"Well, I could use a drink," Shada told them, and waited to see if they would take on the offer.

The hyena hesitated for a moment and then bluntly replied, "Er... um, I dunno... You don't look like you can take on a croc."

Shada frowned, while Tahlili and Mahali laughed in unison. Even Nala had to look up to see who had dared to tell that to a lioness in her face.

"Hey, look, she's got a cub!" one of the hyenas exclaimed, noticing Nala for the first time since their arrival. They had never seen a lion so small, so they all got closer, to take a better look at Nala.

"Hey, why you cryin'?" the pup asked.

Nala turned away and didn't reply.

The hyena looked up at Sarafina for an answer.

Sarafina looked at her and said softly, "Her best friend died and she's feeling lonely."

"Oh..." the hyena said, and fell silent, not sure what to say in these circumstances. She quickly changed the subject back to the waterhole again.

"So... how about you and you come with us?" she asked, pointing at Shada and Tahlili, "I think if you two come, our butts are covered."

Shada looked at Tahlili and asked her, "What do you think? Fancy a walk there, with these guys?"

Tahlili grinned at her sister and replied, "Sure, I've got to cover your butt too, in case a crocodile shows up!"

"Oh cut it out, you," Shada replied and stood up, "I'll never hear the end of this, will I?"

Tahlili simply chuckled and turned to Nala instead. "How about you, Nala? Would you like to come?"

Nala didn't feel much like it, but she had to admit that she felt thirsty, so a visit to the waterhole didn't sound like a bad idea.

"All right... Mom, can I go for a drink with them?" she asked Sarafina.

"Of course you can. Mahali and I will wait for you here, okay?"

Nala crawled out of Sarafina's embrace and padded slowly towards Shada and Tahlili.

As the lionesses led the way, Sarafina could hear the young pups talking to Nala.

"I'm Mashavu by the way, what's your name?" the pup asked.

"I'm Nala..." the cub replied a bit curtly, still not at ease with the presence of the hyenas.

The rest of the pups introduced themselves, but they were too far for Sarafina to catch all their names.

Mahali sighed deeply and lied down next to Sarafina. "If yesterday they had told us that today we'd be walking hyena pups to the waterhole, I'd have called them crazy..."

Sarafina nodded. "That was sweet of Shada, to offer to take them there. I guess she has officially widened the term cub-duty to pup-duty too."

"As long as they don't dump all their pups on us! We'll have to get more sitters in that case..." Mahali said, thoughtfully.

The lionesses fell silent for a moment, while Mahali looked at the golden shapes of her pride-mates, far in the distance. She focused on Nala, who walked between the two lionesses, now just a small golden speck in the horizon.

"I'm glad Nala decided to go with them," Mahali added, "it'll take her mind off things."

"Mmhmm..." Sarafina replied, looking a bit distracted herself.

Mahali went on, "To think that she could have not been here at all anymore... I have to admit, I never liked Scar, and I think bringing the hyenas here was his worst move ever. But I was very glad when he decided to spare Nala's life. Previous Kings have never been so merciful..."

Sarafina remained silent, tightening her lips so as not to reply anything. But Mahali, always observant, picked up on that, and also noticed that her friend had tensed up considerably.

"What's worrying you, Finnie?"

Sarafina swallowed and shook her head. "It's nothing."

Mahali nuzzled her, "Are you sure? You look upset all of a sudden... Was it... Was it what he said back there?"

Sarafina snorted in reply.

"You didn't really want to be his Queen, did you?" Mahali asked in surprise.

"I thought he'd want me to be, so I figured I'd give it a try, all to save Nala..."

Mahali tilted her head slightly. "But... It wouldn't have mattered, if he chose you as Queen, you'd have to stand by his side, whether he spared Nala or not..."

"I know," Sarafina replied, "It was just the heat of the moment, I guess."

"Well, you got the best of two deals; Nala lives, and you don't have to be Scar's mate. It's a win-win situation if you ask me..." Mahali added, smiling slightly, but it was clear that Sarafina was still bothered by something.

"I'm curious..." Mahali went on, "Why did you think he would choose you as Queen? Did he ever talk to you... I mean... you know, about romance and stuff?"

Sarafina turned to look at Mahali. The weight of the secret she was carrying was becoming heavier and heavier, and she needed to share her worries with someone. Mahali had been a good friend over the years, and Sarafina knew she could trust her to keep a secret.

"You can't tell this to anyone, Mahali... Can you promise me that?"

Mahali's face turned serious and she sat up straight. "I promise, Finnie."

Sarafina sat up straight too and looked around to make sure no one was snooping in.

"When Thembi died, and Scar returned from the elephant graveyard, he was all grown up, and both Sarabi and I noticed that he looked at us differently. We could tell that he liked us... We never caught him staring like that at another lioness."

Mahali nodded, "It must have been quite a shock for him to see you two all grown up too, and looking so pretty... So, did he make a pass at you?"

Sarafina blushed slightly, but carried on. "No, he didn't, in fact, he never said a thing. But sometimes, his silent stare would make Sarabi so uncomfortable that she'd lie down next to Mufasa to try and deter him. It worked for her, but I had no one to lie next to..." she finished, with a sad, little smile.

"What a creep, I would have told him to cut it out," Mahali said firmly.

"Actually, I did," Sarafina replied, "and he denied it of course, but after that, it went better. If I caught him looking, he'd quickly turn away."

"But... Do you think he's got feelings for you, or was he just mesmerized by your looks?"

Sarafina looked away for a moment. "Honestly, I thought he did, now I am not so sure..."

"Is that why you called him a liar?" Mahali asked.

Sarafina took a deep breath and flopped on the grass. "Something happened that made me think for sure that he had feelings for me."

Mahali listened intently, her ears perked up in rapt attention.

"Do you remember that time I told you I'd asked Mufasa for some time together, when my season came?"

Mahali nodded, looking rather curious, as Sarafina had never shared with her the details of that particular evening. "Yes, you were a nervous wreck, I remember..."

"Well, it turned out that Mufasa had some things to take care of right there and then, so instead we made an appointment to meet later on that evening. When the time came, I went to the meeting point we had agreed on, but he wasn't there yet. So I just sat and waited for him. I kept waiting for a while, until Karanga bumped into me accidentally."

Mahali chuckled. "What a turn-off... What did she say?"

"When I told her I was waiting for Mufasa, very discretely she let me know that Mufasa had gone away with Sarabi, who apparently was also in season. That's when I realized he'd ran off with the love of his life, and that he wouldn't be coming to me at all."

Mahali gasped and frowned. "Oooh, how rude of him, standing you up like that! I know Sarabi was the Queen and all, but still, that was really mean..."

Sarafina nodded. "I thought the same... So I thanked Karanga and just walked away in no particular direction, feeling rather hurt, I have to admit. Add to that the fact that my body was at that point literally screaming for some contact and company... I was even considering going across the borders, to see if there were any rogues nearby."

Mahali groaned. "Oh boy... I am not looking forward to that stage of my life at all..."

Sarafina couldn't help but smile. Her younger friend still had a little bit of growing up to do before she'd be bothered by adulthood ailments, as she called it.

"So there I was," Sarafina went on, "cursing out loud at Mufasa for not showing up, when all of a sudden I heard someone walking nearby. I peeked out from the tall grass and came face to face with Scar."

Mahali's eyes grew wider as she pictured the scene. "Did he... Did he force himself on you?"

"Of course not!" Sarafina replied quickly, "Actually he just offered to walk me home after I was done crying over Mufasa."

"Oh... that's... rather nice..." Mahali said, having expected something more sinister from Scar, after all the creepy staring he had done.

"But I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to go back to an empty cave, while my body felt like it was on fire with no one nearby to put it out."

Mahali was slowly starting to see where this was going. "Oh, sweet heavens... Did you ask Scar for help?"

Sarafina nodded quietly, looking away, feeling rather embarrassed.

"So... Nala is... his daughter..."

"Um... We actually don't know," Sarafina whispered.

"How can you not know?" Mahali asked, frowning slightly.

"When I returned to Pride Rock, Mufasa was there. He said he had been looking all over for me. He had left Sarabi and came back to fulfill his promise to me, only a bit later than planned."

"So you went with Mufasa too... Wow, you go girl!" Mahali said with a big grin on her face.

"It's not funny, Mahali..." Sarafina interrupted her, "Scar found out, and he was rather upset. I can tell by the way he looks at Nala, he keeps trying to figure out who the father is... I think that's the reason why he decided to spare her life. She could be his daughter after all, so he couldn't go through with that stupid law."

Mahali bit her lip thoughtfully. "Do you think that if it had been any other cub, Scar would have carried out the law after all?"

Sarafina sighed. "I guess we'll never know... I just couldn't stand everyone calling him merciful and whatnot, when I knew that he just probably couldn't do it because of what Nala means to him. She could be the first cub he fathered..."

Mahali stared into the distance, trying to make sense of everything she had just heard. Eventually she broke the silence as she cleared her throat and struggled to ask Sarafina a question.

"Er, Finnie, you know Mom has had the talk with me and all, so I know how things go, but... From friend to friend... Can you tell me... What was it like?"

Sarafina looked at her and smiled. She remembered feeling the same curiosity once too, but she didn't dare to ask anyone. So she was happy to be able to help Mahali along the way.

"It was the most exciting, and yet the most disappointing night of my life, in a way."

"I can imagine, thinking you'd be with Mufasa and ending up with Scar..." Mahali giggled.

Sarafina chuckled along. "You know, Scar had refused to help at first. He said he knew I didn't care for him at all and he was sure I'd be regretting things in the morning. But I insisted, and after promising him that I would not be reproachful in the future, he finally accepted to help."

Mahali perked up her ears and looked away shyly. "So... how was it?"

"Well..." Sarafina said, as she tried to organize her thoughts, the memories of that night racing in her mind, "It was awkward at first, we weren't even sure how to begin... He tried to take the initiative at some point but... um, I can't blame him of course... He had only seen hyenas mating before. So he tried the same approach, and I can assure you, it does not work on lions."

Mahali couldn't help but laugh out loud as she pictured the two of them struggling like that.

"We figured things out eventually... It was over rather quickly, but it was very intense, I can't really describe it in words. I can honestly tell you, it does hurt, but it is very relieving afterwards. When he was done, the cravings of my body had calmed down considerably, and I was finally able to relax. I think I must've spent hours just rolling around on the grass, in total bliss."

Mahali nodded and smiled. "Sounds like you had a nice time with him after all... But there's something I don't get. Mufasa came for you later anyway, so why do you say that your night was so disappointing?"

Sarafina closed her eyes as she recalled what happened next. "I don't know if I am making any sense here but... The thing is... It's the way Scar acted, you know? He was really into it, like... He couldn't get enough of me! If I didn't feel like mating at some point, he would make sure that I got in the mood again, you know? With a sniff here, a nip there, a flick of his tail on my back, or a lick behind the ears..."

Mahali nodded, not missing a single word.

"I lost count of how many times he took care of my needs, all I know is that I was totally exhausted by the time we returned to Pride Rock. So when Mufasa asked me out again, I tried to turn him down at first, but I figured, if it felt so good with a lion I didn't care much for, imagine how awesome it would be with my beloved Mufasa... So I decided to go with him anyway, not knowing that Scar had seen us walking away together. I can only imagine how he felt, he had tried really hard to satisfy me and I still went with Mufasa... He must have felt he had not been good enough or something..."

"Well, it's not a big deal, right? That's how coalitions work..."

Sarafina shrugged. "I suppose so... But the thing is... There I was, excited about finally being alone with Mufasa in a more intimate way... Well, it was clear his mind was with Sarabi and Sarabi only. It felt as if he was trying to rush things, so that he could go back to her or something. There were no nips, licks or nuzzling, he showed little interest in me or my feelings. He was gentle and kind, all right, but he treated me like he would probably treat any other lioness in season, with little love or passion. I felt so disappointed, that after a couple of tries I just told Mufasa that I had had enough. I had realized that mating with me was just another duty to him, just like patrolling the borders."

"Scar, on the other hand..." Mahali said, as she began to understand.

Sarafina nodded. "That's why I thought he had feelings for me. His reaction to me going with Mufasa confirmed my suspicions. Mufasa couldn't care less when he found out I had slept with Scar. That's how a coalition would work, you see? But Scar looked angry, disappointed..."

"Then I don't understand why he simply won't choose you as Queen..."

"I guess he's either really not interested in me at all, and he just happens to be a very good lover who treats all lionesses like they are his Queen, or he's just taking revenge for the times I rejected him and for insulting his efforts by going with Mufasa that night."

Mahali sighed deeply, thinking love was a very complicated matter. "How about you, Finnie? Did you develop any feelings for Scar after that night?"

Sarafina pondered for a moment. "I was just very grateful for his assistance, " she replied, not feeling like answering Mahali's question too deeply.

Mahali nodded and stared ahead. "Oh, look, Shada and Tahlili are coming back... Let's switch topic now, and pretend we were discussing the weather or something."

Sarafina smiled as she nuzzled Mahali gently and whispered, "Thanks for listening, girl, it feels good to finally have told someone. But remember, not a word of this to anyone, please?"

Mahali nodded. "You have my word, Finnie. And thanks for trusting me with your secret, it means a lot to me."

Both lionesses smiled, but their smiles froze when they saw Shada had a crimson stain on her pelt. It looked like she was bleeding from her right shoulder.

"Shada!" Sarafina exclaimed, and both lionesses ran to meet them, "What happened?"

Shada glanced at her shoulder and smiled. "Oh, this? It means I've been officially accepted into the Trouble-Maker gang."

Sarafina blinked a few times and sniffed the spot on Shada's shoulder, which up close looked like several overlapped hyena pawprints. "This is... Rafiki's paint? Oh thank heavens, I thought you were wounded!"

Shada laughed. "Sorry, Finnie, I didn't meant to scare you."

"So what's all this about the Trouble-Maker gang?" Mahali asked them, looking at Nala who appeared to be less sad than before.

Tahlili was about to reply when they heard the distant roars of the hunting party, announcing their arrival.

"Come, we'll tell you all about it on the way to Pride Rock!" she said, and the five lionesses made their way back, looking forward to a good meal and a nice nap.

* * *

><p>Shada was narrating what happened during their visit to the waterhole, while the lionesses laughed along.<p>

"So to my surprise, of all crocs, it was our old friend Tarumbeta who happened to be there! So while the pups were distracted, I asked him if he could help me stage a fight, in which I should turn out victorious, of course."

"But Tarumbeta doesn't even have teeth anymore!" Mahali exclaimed cheerfully.

"Yes, but the pups don't know that, do they?" Shada said winking, "So he accepted to play along. We pretended to wrestle and I won. You should have seen the hyenas faces! I was their hero."

Even Nala was laughing along, as she recalled the pups running back to their mothers to tell them all about the lioness' heroic act.

Sarafina shook her head as she smiled. "So that warranted you the membership to their club?"

Shada nodded, glancing at the spot on her shoulder. "They said I was cool enough to join their gang. Only they wanted to bite into their own paws and mark me with their own blood or something silly like that, but I could stop them in time. Rafiki had just come to the waterhole carrying one of his bags with supplies, so I asked him if he had any of that colored powder he usually carries around..."

Shada was interrupted by Tahlili, who was frowning as she stared ahead. "What is that? Is there a fire at Pride Rock?"

The lionesses turned to look, and saw some light-coloured smoke rising from the rock.

"Quick, let's go check it out," Sarafina said, and they hurried all the way back to Pride Rock.

When the lionesses arrived, they saw that the smoke was coming from inside the cave. Not far from there, the hunting party was presenting their catch to Scar, who appeared to be completely at ease with the fact that the cave was on fire.

"Hey all... What's wrong? Why is there smoke in the cave?" Sarafina asked.

Scar stared at the body of a Thomson gazelle sprawled in front of him, and replied without looking at Sarafina, "I've asked Rafiki to cleanse the cave. He said we should be able to get back in after sundown."

Sarafina looked around to make sure Kuuliza was not inside, but the old lioness was safe and sound, tenderly grooming Karanga's ears in the meantime. She went to take a peek into the cave and saw what looked like half a coconut in the middle, with a substance that was glowing brightly, and which was giving out clouds of smoke.

The lioness sniffed around. It didn't smell like the usual smoke caused by a fire in the Savannah, but it stung her nose all the same so she opted to walk back and wait until whatever was burning in there would go out.

In the meantime, she joined her pride-mates, who were relaxing after a successful hunt.

Scar was still admiring the prey displayed in front of him. He had never had first pick, ever, until now, so he was unsure where to start eating. He made up his mind and finally took a bite, savoring it as if he had never eaten meat before. He ate ravenously, knowing no one could tell him off this time. As he ate, he kept thinking of his father, who always made him wait until everyone else had had their fill.

"Not anymore, eh, old fool?" he thought as he chewed heartily.

Once Scar had eaten enough, he walked away to groom himself, and the lionesses moved in to have their share.

In the distance, Scar could see his three hyena friends also eating something. He could not tell what it was, but they were eating happily all the same, and a sense of satisfaction came over him. Everything was working out the way he had imagined it, and he was sure that his reign would be legendary.

After the lionesses were done eating, they sat down together to groom each other, while Shada told the hunters all about their meeting with the hyena pups earlier that day.

Scar listened to them, but he was not really paying attention, his mind kept going over what Sarafina had said earlier, about becoming his Queen. He hesitated for a moment but in the end he stood up and approached the lionesses.

They looked up and hushed when they saw him coming.

Mahali couldn't help but look at him through different eyes, after her talk with Sarafina. But she quickly looked away, feeling as if she could give away her best friend's secret by merely looking at him.

Scar cleared his throat. "Karanga, could I have a word with you?" he asked.

"Of course, son," the lioness replied and stood up. She followed Scar up to the southern ledge, while the lionesses looked at the two of them with curiosity.

Once they were alone, Scar sat on his haunches and looked at Karanga. "There's something I need to know, I figured you could tell me."

Karanga nodded and listened closely.

"Is it necessary for me to choose a Queen?"

Karanga tilted her head. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean..."

"Why do I need one? Can't I just simply rule on my own?"

"Oh..." she replied and sat down next to him, "Well... you don't _have _to have a Queen, but as King you will have so much to do and so much to take care of, that it is handy to have someone to help you along the way."

Scar looked at her thoughtfully. "I was very young and probably paid little attention but... In which ways did you assist my father during his reign?"

"For example... Thembi spent a lot of time away, either marking the borders or dealing with the leaders of the other tribes living in the Pride Lands. As such, he needed someone here who could keep an eye on things and take care of issues, if any arose. To put it bluntly, while he was away, I was the boss around here," she finished with a smile.

Scar looked away into the horizon, as he tried to recall what Karanga used to do when Thembi was away. He vaguely remembered her talking to the elephants once, and trying to help solve a dispute between cheetahs and leopards... The lion smiled to himself as he understood better now.

Karanga went on. "By choosing a Queen, you are giving that particular lioness the authority to make important decisions, and the rest of the pride will have to listen to her. They will look up to her for guidance and advice. And, a lot of lionesses consider this the most important task of all: the Queen will be in charge of providing you with an heir to the throne."

Scar nodded as he listened closely to his adoptive mother. "But how to choose the right one?"

Karanga looked away for a moment. "The tradition dictates that you would have to marry the first-born lioness after you. When you were born, there were no other cubs in the pride, but Thembi took Dalasini and her three cubs in, which means Sarabi became the first born. Sarabi's time as Queen has ended now, so the lioness meant for you would be-"

"Sarafina," Scar interrupted, frowning slightly.

Karanga nodded. "But you're not someone who's set on following traditions, are you?" she asked, remembering how he had already turned down Sarafina's offer earlier that day.

Scar chuckled and nodded. "Indeed."

"In the end, there is no rule, son, it's up to you. Some kings want to stick to the traditions, but there's always a rebellious King who will go for the best looking lioness, or who will pick the best hunter, or the most dominant one, or the one they simply fell in love with regardless of whether she has any leadership skills or not."

Scar looked at her and nodded understandingly. "I see."

Karanga looked at him curiously and asked, "Has someone caught your eye already?"

Scar stood up and walked away. "Thanks for the talk, mother," he said, clearly avoiding the question.

Karanga chuckled slightly and watched him leave. "Anytime, son, anytime."

By the time Scar returned to where the lionesses were resting, he realized there was no more smoke coming out from the cave. He walked inside and saw the coconut was no longer alight. There was a weird smell left, but it didn't sting his nose anymore. He smiled to himself as he inspected the cave; no trace of Mufasa's scent was to be found anymore.

The lionesses had seen Scar walking in, and assumed it was safe to return to the cave. They walked in slowly one by one, wrinkling their nose at the strange scent lingering in the cave, but they got used to it pretty quickly. They settled down in their usual spots, but Sarabi was pacing back and forth, looking around confused.

Sarafina walked to her and whispered, "Are you okay?"

Sarabi turned to her with tears in her eyes and replied softly, "Mufasa and Simba's scent... It's gone... Scar took away their scent, the only thing I had left of them..."

Sarafina sniffed around and noticed that the strange smell in the cave was partly due to the lack of the usual scents that lingered in there. She frowned as she confirmed that Mufasa's scent was indeed gone. Both lionesses knew it would fade in time, but they hadn't been prepared for this.

She nuzzled Sarabi as they both tried to hold back tears. "You know Scar cannot erase him from our memories, he lives in us..."

Sarabi nodded and nuzzled her sister back. They lay down together and tried to comfort each other with encouraging words, repeating to each other that Mufasa was still alive in their hearts.

Scar in the meantime had settled down on the higher plateau reserved for the King and his Queen. He sat there alone, watching the lionesses as they made themselves comfortable, ready to take a nap. He looked at each one of them thoughtfully, until his eyes fell on Ndani. She was cleaning herself, sitting on her usual corner of the cave, far away from the rest of the lionesses, and seemed unaware that Scar was looking at her.

After she was done, she finally looked up and noticed Scar on his plateau, looking in her direction. She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned playfully.

Scar grinned slightly in return and looked away. He proceeded to rest his head on his paws, sighing deeply as he closed his eyes.


	7. The Queen's Best Friend

_Chapter 7_

**The Queen's Best Friend**

Several days went by, but Scar had not made any announcement yet as to which lioness he would choose as Queen.

Some of the lionesses admitted to being curious, but they weren't looking forward to being Queen during a reign that would also involve dealing with the hyenas. Scar was bound to go away often, so it would be up to the Queen to keep the hyenas at bay. They all agreed that it seemed like a rather difficult task, even though no major disputes had broken yet between the two groups. Except for Shenzi and her siblings, the rest of the hyenas kept to themselves and rarely mingled with the lions.

Scar had tried to take over the patrol duties, but found out that patrolling every day was tiring and time consuming, so he struck a deal with the hyenas. Since they were now living in the Pride Lands, Scar informed them that it was now their duty to protect this territory too. The hyenas thought this was fair and agreed to split the task. The hyenas would cover the Northern and Eastern border, and Scar would cover the Southern and Western border. That way, they didn't have to cover as much distance anymore.

Scar was pleased with this arrangement, as it left him more time to roam Pride Rock and study the lionesses carefully. He realized that he didn't know them that well, so he paid attention to the lionesses' interaction, and quickly determined that after Karanga, Sarabi and Sarafina were the most dominant ones. The other lionesses rarely questioned their decisions and didn't doubt to carry out any favours they would ask.

Anasa and Sita were close friends, but not assertive enough to lead the Pride. They appeared rather content with having others making the important decisions.

Huria was usually in a grumpy mood, and she would often take it out on lower-ranked lionesses, such as the young cubs or Ndani. Scar noticed that Huria loved her pride though, and her sense of loyalty and protection was very strong. Too strong, sometimes; she had been spotted several times chasing away lionesses and leopards from the Outlands. Her hunting skills were rather good too.

Mahali, Tahlili and Shada were too young to be considered, and Kuuliza was too old.

And then there was Ndani, all the way at the bottom of the Pride's rank. But she was the only lioness he felt he could connect with in some way.

He also admitted to himself that he felt no romantic feelings for any one of them, not even Sarafina, who in his eyes was not worthy of his attention any more. So making up his mind had been a rather difficult task.

One evening, the lionesses were getting ready to go for a late hunt after sunset.

Scar listened to their conversation as he approached them with the intention to make his announcement.

"Finnie, are you coming this time?" Anasa asked.

Sarafina nodded. "Yes, Nala is doing a lot better now, so she will be okay with the sitters."

"Great! That means Ndani, you're out," Huria said, sounding a bit too happy about dropping her pride-mate from the hunting party.

Ndani's ears drooped. "Do I have to stay? I did a good job last time, didn't I?" she snarled.

"Yeah, until I had to yell at you to stop daydreaming and get a move on, remember?" Huria growled back.

Ndani, who had been stretching her muscles like the others, flopped on the ground and sighed deeply.

Scar frowned when he saw the disappointed look on the lioness' face and he cleared his throat to attract the lionesses' attention.

"Ah, came to wish us good luck?" Karanga asked.

"Yes, and also to make an announcement," he replied, watching all their eyes fixed on him.

The lionesses sat up straight and listened carefully. Only Ndani had remained lying on the floor, her chin resting on her paws, looking rather deflated.

Scar went on, as he paced slowly from side to side. "As you know, the King of the Pride Lands must choose a Queen at some point..."

The lionesses perked up their ears, as they felt their hearts racing. Scar had not shown any strong preference to either one of them as of lately, so they had no idea which one of them he would pick. Ndani, on the contrary, paid little attention, as she knew that she wouldn't be considered as a suitable candidate.

"So after a lot of consideration, I've finally made up my mind."

He stopped to keep them in suspense a little longer. They blinked back at him expectantly.

"The lioness I've picked is Ndani."

All lionesses turned to look at Ndani, who was still lying ungracefully on the ground, her eyes wide open in surprise. "Did- Did he say my name? Did I actually hear him say my name?"

The lionesses nodded at her, looking rather shocked.

Ndani sat up rather quickly and looked around at the surprised stares of her pride-mates. She felt as if her head was spinning, and didn't seem capable to speak.

"Well, go join him, what are you waiting for?" Anasa told her, smiling and feeling genuinely happy for her.

"Better her than me," whispered Huria into Sarabi's ear, "although I thought he'd go for that hyena of his..."

Sarabi had to stifle a chuckle, and felt relieved that she had not been chosen. She detested the idea of having to be Mufasa's brother's mate.

Sarafina, on the other hand, went very quiet and said nothing. Mahali noticed and doubted the truth about Sarafina's feelings towards Scar. She walked to her nonchalantly, standing close next to her to reassure Sarafina that she was not alone if she needed to talk to someone.

Sarafina looked at her and smiled understandingly.

Ndani, coming out of her shock, finally made her way to Scar's side, staring at him as if he had some contagious disease to be strongly avoided.

"Long live the Queen," Scar said, and the lionesses repeated the phrase in reply, bowing respectfully.

"Stop that!" Ndani yelled, "I'm not the Queen! I- I can't be... Are you playing a joke on me?" she asked Scar, about to burst into tears.

Scar shook his head. "You know I wouldn't joke about this," he said firmly.

Ndani looked down at the lionesses, who were congratulating her and wishing her good luck. It had to be real, she thought.

Karanga eventually approached them and gave both Scar and Ndani a gentle nuzzle, wishing them good luck together.

Scar turned to Ndani and whispered, "I guess you can now join the hunt if you want to... Queen's orders, you know..." he added, with a slightly evil grin on his face.

Ndani looked at him, still clearly not at ease with the idea of ruling next to him. "You know I can't... I'll- I'll be in the cave, okay?" she said rather quickly, and disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

Scar looked at Karanga with a confused expression. "Do they all react like that, or is it just my personal charm?" he asked, having expected a completely different reaction from her, of all lionesses.

Karanga smiled at him and said softly, "She probably didn't see it coming, that's all... As for your suggestion, Ndani can't join the hunt today even if she wanted to. She has to stay with you, to be claimed as your mate."

"I just did that, didn't I?" the lion asked, sounding confused.

Karanga took him a few paces away and whispered, "You have to mate with her to seal your engagement."

Scar's eyes widened slightly in realization, understanding now why Ndani had looked so terrified. He knew that she had never been with a lion before. "You mean... But... She's not even in season!" he hissed.

Karanga blinked a couple of times. She admired the fact that this particular King was actually worried about his wedding night not being such a thrill for the new Queen.

"She will be okay," she said, "just be kind and gentle."

Scar frowned slightly. "So here is yet another tradition I've never heard of... Tell me, did Thembi have to do this with you too, right after my own mother died?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Karanga's smile faded for a moment and she sighed as she looked away. "Not right after, no. It took Thembi quite some time to gather the courage to pick someone else. And when he finally did, he did it out of concern for the pride, who needed a Queen's leadership, and not because he needed my company or my love. So to answer your question, yes, your father had to do the same once he chose me as Queen. But, if you don't mind, my dear, there are some things about my relationship with your father that I'd rather keep to myself," she said, gently, but firmly, making sure he would understand that she did not want to discuss this particular topic any further.

"Yes... Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry..." Scar replied, looking away when he noticed he struck a nerve in Karanga, and felt embarrassed for even questioning her on that subject. He appreciated her reply all the same.

Karanga's warm smile returned, lighting up her features again, and told him, "Go on, Ndani must be waiting for you, and I bet she's dying to find out why she was the chosen one."

Scar nodded again, and turned to the hunters, who were still waiting for Karanga to return and join the hunting party.

"Good luck with the hunt, and take care," Scar yelled as usual.

The hunting party roared back at him and walked away, heading towards where the zebra herds had been spotted. The sitters decided to talk a stroll with Nala, to enjoy the light of the full moon, and to ensure that Scar and Ndani would have enough privacy.

Scar watched the hunting party leave, until they finally disappeared behind the acacia trees. The lion padded back to the cave slowly and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness inside. He descried Ndani sitting up straight in her usual corner, looking rather nervous.

Scar took a deep breath and walked to the King's plateau. "Won't you join me over here?" he called her.

Ndani swallowed and walked towards him. She sat down in front of him, while still keeping a bit of distance. "Can I ask you something?" she said.

"Sure," Scar replied, as he licked one of his paws clean, trying to hide his own nervousness.

"Of all the lionesses you could choose from... Why didya go for me? I'm ugly and I ain't got no talents!" she said, as tears formed in her eyes, "Why me?"

Scar looked at her before replying. He thought his answer carefully, as he never thought she would be so shaken by his decision.

"You're not ugly as you think you are," he said at last, "and I know you could make a decent huntress if given the chance. You just don't get enough practice, that's all, but that will change from now on. As for why I decided to choose you... Well, the rest of the lionesses have shown very little interest in me, but you and I got along rather well, despite having had a rough start during our cubhood."

"Yes, but... I mean, we are good _friends_, and that's that! Besides, ya know how I feel about having them cubs 'n all that... Couldn't you have gone for someone who actually wants to give you an heir? That's what Queens are for, right?" she asked, sounding a bit desperate.

"I've heard there's more to being Queen than just producing cubs, Ndani," he replied curtly, "And don't worry, since we're being totally honest here, I also have to admit I don't harbour any romantic feelings for you. Like you said, we're good friends. It's just that we've connected in a way I have not connected with any other lioness, and I figured, together you and I could finally show all of them that even though they've treated us like dirt in the past, and had little hopes and expectations for us, we can still run this place."

Ndani looked at him, liking the sound of that. "Heh, s'like, the era of the rise of the underdogs or somethin', you, me and the hyenas..."

Scar nodded, "Something like that, which brings me to another reason as to why I picked you. The hyenas actually like you. Apparently you, Karanga and Shada have been kind to them throughout the past few weeks, and the word has spread that you three are 'okay' while they still see the rest of the lionesses as uptight."

Ndani chuckled slightly as she dried the tears off her face with a paw. "I just can't believe it, that you'd choose me, heh..."

"Who did you think I would choose, then?"

"Anyone but me. Shenzi over me. Zazu over me!" she said, laughing out loud.

Scar grinned and stood up, closing the gap between them. It made Ndani's laugh freeze. She knew what was expected of the newly chosen Queen, and felt rather nervous.

Scar was not very comfortable himself with the idea of having to force her into mating outside her season, just to fulfill some dumb tradition. He looked at Ndani, wondering what she was thinking, whether she'd ask him not to go ahead with this, but she said nothing. She just didn't dare to look him in the eye.

"Okay, let's get this outta the way then," she blurted out all of a sudden, and turned around, lying down on the plateau, facing the wall of the cave.

Scar kept staring at her, noticing how her muscles were extremely tense, with her claws trying to bury into the cave's floor, and her tail deeply tucked between her legs. Her whole body language was clearly screaming to him 'I don't want to do this', but she still said nothing.

"Your tail's in the way," he said flatly, with a cheeky grin.

"Oh, sorry..." she replied, and slowly flicked her tail aside for him.

He approached her and gave her a gentle nip on the shoulder, but the lioness was as cold as ice towards his advance, and her only reaction was a slight wince.

Scar remembered that one of the things he had enjoyed the most was watch Sarafina beg for his attentions time and time again. He had enjoyed the slight sense of power he felt, by teasing her, not giving into her demands just like that... Compared to that, tending to Ndani right now felt like a plunge into the waterhole during a cold night. In the end, the lion decided he would bend yet another rule, and instead he stepped over the tense lioness, only to lie down by her side.

Ndani, who had her eyes tightly shut, opened them when she felt the lion's warmth next to her. "What? what's wrong?"

"I appreciate that you were willing to give yourself to me, but I'd rather have you come to me when you're ready instead."

Ndani's ears perked up. "But... the sealin' of the bond and all that stuff?"

"Will the lionesses think less of you if you tell them we didn't go through with this?"

Ndani nodded, "They'll probably think I'm so ugly you couldn't complete your task or somethin'..."

Scar chuckled. "Then just tell them we did it. Who cares?"

Ndani's smiled returned to her face and her muscles relaxed. She looked rather grateful.

"What about the heir?"

"I don't need one right this very moment, you know?"

Ndani nodded, glad that she didn't have to dive into maternity right away, like a lot of Queens craved to do.

The lioness sighed and snuggled closer to Scar's warm body. Even though she was not in love with him, she enjoyed the contact all the same.

Scar in turn was content as to how things had turned out. He could now understand why Ndani reacted the way she did, even though he hadn't expected it, but all in all, he felt rather pleased.

"Can't wait to show Huria who's boss..." Ndani said dreamily after a few minutes of silence.

"Oh yes, you show her."

She chuckled and closed her eyes to get some sleep, feeling drowsy after all the stress and excitement.

Scar joined her in a short nap that was interrupted by the lionesses announcing their return.

The King and his new Queen exited the cave to greet the hunting party, who had managed to hunt down a rather big zebra.

Scar thanked them for the meal and began eating with enthusiasm.

Ndani in the meantime went to join her pride-mates, and as she waited for her turn to eat, she could notice the lionesses staring at her with pained and worried expressions.

"Um, you guys okay?" Ndani asked.

Sarabi walked to her and whispered, "We know the first night is not the best... Are _you _doing okay?"

Ndani smiled slightly and nodded. "I'm feeling fine, thanks for askin'," she said, appreciating her older sister's concern, while at the time also enjoying keeping such big secret from everyone.

Scar eventually moved away from the zebra, and the lionesses moved in, to have their share of the meal. Not long after, Huria started to growl loudly, feeling possessive of her food, when she spotted one of the hyenas approaching.

"Don't flatter yourself, pussycat, I'm here to see the King, not you," Banzai yelled at her with a big grin and walked past the feasting lionesses.

Scar looked up when he heard Banzai talking. The hyena was still chuckling at Huria's angry expression as he approached the lion.

"Hey pal," Banzai said and sat down next to Scar.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you guys lately," the lion replied as he cleaned the remains from his dinner by rubbing his paw on his cheeks repeatedly.

"We've been enjoying the sights, heh. Man, this place is awesome," Banzai said, and fell silent for a moment, as he looked around the Pride Lands with a satisfied look on his face. "Anyway, I came here to ask ye... Asani insisted on a clan meeting for who knows what reason, so Shenzi's callin' one to see what the hell she wants this time. Shenzi wants to know if ye wanted to come or not. We're not sure what the policy is now, you see... Is lion business, well, Lion Business? What about Hyena Business?"

Scar pondered for a moment. "Well... Unless it is something that I need to be directly involved with, I think you can carry on with your internal clan meetings without my presence. I trust everything here is matching your expectations, though?" he asked, frowning slightly.

"Oh yeah, like I said, we have no idea what Asani wants this time, but we'll keep ya posted. So what's new here?"

Scar smirked. "I've chosen a Queen. It's Ndani."

Banzai grinned widely. "Wow... Good for ya!" he said enthusiastically as he wiggled his eyebrows and let out a naughty chuckle, "Now, I am not much of a judge on lioness beauty, but I think she's a fine piece of a-"

"Hey, guys," Ndani interrupted them, having finished eating, "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much, Banzai was just about to tell me something. Do go on, please, Banzai," Scar replied, nonplussed.

Banzai blushed slightly and chuckled, "Oh, it's nothin', I was just congratulatin' the boss on havin' picked ya."

Ndani chuckled and turned to Scar. "Hey, Scar, is it okay if I sneak away for a bit, tomorrow morning, kinda early? I'll try and be back before you go on your patrol..."

"Ah, going to visit those friends of yours again?" he asked.

Ndani nodded. "Can't wait to tell 'em what's happened, they won't believe it, I'm sure!"

Scar grinned slightly, noticing how Ndani was quickly warming up to the idea of being Queen.

"Sure, go ahead. Send them my regards," the lion replied.

Banzai stood up and stretched himself. "Anyway, gotta go back to Shenzi, to let her know you're ok with our meeting. I'll see you guys later!"

"Until then," Scar replied, and headed back to the cave to get some sleep. Ndani and the rest of the lionesses joined him eventually, which meant that none of them witnessed the hyenas' gathering.

* * *

><p>Shenzi had called for a clan meeting and was waiting for the hyenas to gather round.<p>

"Okay, guys, listen up!" she yelled while standing on a rock, "I honestly have no idea why we're gathered here today, so I'll just step off this rock and let Asani do the talkin'."

The hyenas looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Yet another try to undermine Shenzi's authority, I guess..." whispered one of them.

Asani climbed on the rock and cleared her throat. "Does anyone remember why we were banned from this land in the first place?"

The hyenas knew very well but no one replied.

"If I recall correctly, it was cause they said we were killin' for sport and wastin' all the food."

Some hyenas nodded, others looked at her simply wondering when she would get to the point.

"Well, today I saw several hyenas bringing down a couple of gazelles, taking just a few bites, and then leaving the rest to rot out there in the sun. I won't say any names; you know who you are."

Shenzi frowned when she heard this. "To hell with that, I want names. Who was it?" she demanded, looking around to see if she could spot the guilty faces amongst the crowd.

Asani glared at her. "I said I ain't saying."

Shenzi bared her teeth at her for a moment, but then turned to face the crowd of muttering hyenas. "Okay, you lot... I know that we're lovin' this place and all, and it's easy to get carried away, but don't let it happen again. If the lionesses find out we're wastin' food they're bound to start complainin' and we don't want no trouble."

Asani tried to make herself heard again, "I suggest that whatever doesn't get eaten, we just bring back here, right to this spot. I am sure that the nursing mothers would really like not havin' to leave their pups unattended in search for food. The elder hyenas can also come here to eat in peace too."

There was a murmur of agreement amongst several hyenas, who thought it was a good idea after all.

"So, it's settled then," Shenzi yelled, "No wasting meat, left-overs will be brought here, end of discussion. Everyone go back to whatever you were doing."

Shenzi waited until the clan thinned out and called Asani through clenched teeth.

"Listen to me, this is the last time I call a meeting without you telling me what it is about first."

"And have you steal my good ideas and taking credit for them?" Asani growled.

Shenzi's siblings came to back her up.

"Calm down, genius, you already overheated your head with this great idea of yours, don't overdo it," Banzai said.

Asani gave Banzai a dirty look and muttered, "Shut it, you stupid male."

Banzai laughed and approached Asani, "Stupid? Aww, c'mon, you secretly have the hots for me, admit it,"

Asani made a gagging noise. "You wish you could get along with the likes of me, _pal_."

Shenzi rolled her eyes and walked away while the other two hyenas kept throwing insults at each other.

"I tell you Ed, they keep teasin' each other like this, but one of these days I'm gonna find those two in the bushes together, I just know it," she said, rubbing her temples with a paw.

Ed simply chuckled in reply and made a whooping noise.

"That's what I'm sayin'... Come on, let's catch some Z's, I'm tired," she managed to say while in mid-yawn.

Shenzi lied down next to Ed as she thought of what Asani had said earlier. It seemed so typical of her, to start worrying already over just two dead gazelles that were not completely consumed. Shenzi knew that the clan had never had so many potential food at their disposal, and they were probably enjoying the hunts a bit too much lately. She expected the novelty to wear off soon, and the hyenas would go back to their usual eating pattern and hunting rhythm. She didn't feel worried at all.

* * *

><p>Scar woke up early and rolled on to his side, only to find a cold spot on the floor, where Ndani had been lying earlier. He then remembered that the lioness would be going away for a short while, so he tried to fall asleep again, without success.<p>

He had been awakened by a nightmare, a strange dream that made him feel uneasy even now that he was awake, as he tried to recall what he had seen. He couldn't remember it in extreme detail, but he knew for sure it involved a cub, probably Simba, chasing him, and Scar feeling rather terrified and fleeing for his life.

Scar grunted as he failed to catch some more sleep, and stood up, glancing at the sleeping pride in the process. He noticed that he was not the only one who was awake; Sarafina was staring at Nala through puffy eyes and with a sleepy look on her face.

The lion walked past the pride without saying a word, and left the cave, while Sarafina followed him with her eyes. After a minute or two, she looked around and stood up slowly, following Scar stealthily and glancing backwards to make sure that Nala was still fast asleep.

Scar had climbed down Pride Rock. The early morning dew moistened his pelt as he brushed against branches and bushes. He sniffed the grass for a moment but looked up startled when he heard Sarafina clear her throat right behind him.

"Oh, it's you," he told Sarafina, wondering how many times he had heard those same words coming from her and Sarabi's mouth.

Sarafina ignored his cold greeting and stepped forward. "I need to ask you something, can we talk?"

Scar sat down, looking bored. "What is it?"

"Was it true, what you said that day? Do I really mean nothing to you?"

Scar looked into her eyes, his expression hard to read. "Well, yes, but I thought that was mutual, wasn't it?"

"I just thought, after what happened that night-"

"You asked for it, remember? I didn't come on to you, you did," he interrupted, not wanting to show any weakness in front of her.

Sarafina frowned. "You know what? Forget it. It was stupid of me to try and talk to you about this," she said, as she turned to leave.

Scar looked at her and finally asked her the question that had been nagging in his mind for so long. "Why did you go with him?"

Sarafina stopped and glanced over her shoulder. She hesitated, but eventually returned to him and whispered, "I went with him because I... I was in love with your brother. You kindly helped satisfy my body's desires that night, but my heart still longed for him... I am sorry, I should have told you earlier."

Scar's expression was still hard to read, he simply stared at her, while mentally cursing Mufasa with all his might.

"But the time I spent with both of you made me realize many things... I just... I honestly thought you cared for me..."

Scar finally narrowed his eyes, looking very angry all of a sudden. His expression made Sarafina feel rather uneasy.

"And what difference does it make whether I cared for you or not?" he spat, "You made up your mind, you went with my brother, and although you already knew he only had eyes for no other than Sarabi, you never came to spend time with me again after that night. So why all your interest in me all of a sudden? Is it because I am King now? Do you just feel like being the Queen, no matter who's on the throne?"

"How can you say that?" she snapped at him, looking hurt.

Scar turned his back on her while shaking his head. "Well, I really don't understand you, Sarafina. You never gave me a second glance, not even after that night. And now you're questioning my feelings for you? Why now? Why after I've openly announced that I have a mate? Perhaps you need to sort out _your _feelings first, before you come and question my own?"

Sarafina opened her mouth but she didn't know what to reply. She simply shook her head and whispered, "You're right... I was out of line. I'm very sorry that I brought this up."

Scar enjoyed seeing her so confused, feeling she deserved every bit of it and more.

"Go back to your cub now, she's probably wondering where you are."

Sarafina nodded and turned around, not looking back. By the time the lioness made her way back to the cave to check on Nala, the sun had already risen. She could hear some hyena laughter in the distance, but she didn't pay much attention to it anymore. They had gotten used to the sounds and scents of the clan in the meantime.

She lay down next to the cub, who was still sleeping, and even though she had been mentally cursing at herself for asking Scar for help that night months ago, the thought that Nala might not be there if it hadn't been for him was enough to placate her anger.

The pride woke up eventually and the lionesses went outside to sit under the warm rays of the sun and to groom each other like they did every morning.

Karanga, usually quick to groom Scar, was acting more distant now that he had chosen a Queen. Karanga didn't want to interfere in activities that Ndani might like to do with him, so she gave Scar a quick good-morning kiss, and went to groom Kuuliza instead.

As if on cue, Ndani came running to him, looking a bit out of breath, but rather excited.

"Great, made it on time before you left on patrol!" she said. She looked around and saw the lionesses engaged in their grooming session.

Scar looked at her, a bit expectantly.

Ndani laughed a bit. "I can either cover you in my spit, or I can tell you what happened this morning, your pick!"

Scar raised an eyebrow. "How about you try both?" he said as he lied down to make the task easier for her.

Ndani grunted and swatted at him playfully. She began grooming him, while speaking to him between licks. "Well, ya know I went to meet my friends. Like I said, they couldn't believe I'm the new Queen! They think I'm pullin' their leg."

"Tell them to come here and I'll confirm it myself."

Ndani grinned as she stopped licking for a moment. "Well, that's the thing! They finally wanna meet you!"

Scar looked at her a bit surprised. "Oh, so now that I am King, then they want to come meet me?"

Ndani shook her head. "They couldn't care less whether you're King or not, so don't expect them to be bowing at you and stuff. Nah, they were kinda blown away by the fact that you let the hyenas in, and then there was the whole choosing me, and sparing a cub business. Zira says normal lions don't do that. She wants to meet 'this weirdo', she says."

Scar grimaced, and then pointed at his cheek with one of his claws, enticing her to keep on grooming. Ndani went on, wondering what he was thinking. "So, can I bring 'em over?"

Scar closed his eyes, as he enjoyed the sensation of being groomed by someone else other than Karanga. "All right, if they want to pop by for a visit it's fine with me. Be sure to warn the others that they are here as our own special guests."

"Great! Now, your turn," she said, closing her eyes too, "groom me quickly and then I'll go tell 'em!"

Scar groomed his new mate for the first time, finding that it was quite an enjoyable task. Ndani seemed to like it too, and it pleased him to see her completely at ease, unlike the night he chose her as Queen.

Ndani in turn found that being groomed by a male lion felt rather differently than when one of her pride-mates did it. She could not tell where the difference lay, but she found herself enjoying Scar's ministrations a bit too much. The thought seemed to spook her, so she stood up quickly and told Scar, "Sorry, I can't lay still, I'm too hyped."

Scar smirked. "Go now then... I'll meet you and your friends here after I am back from patrol."

Ndani nodded and ran off like an overgrown cub, and Scar said goodbye to the lionesses and went to take care of his patrolling duties.

* * *

><p>Scar was still busy walking his borders when Zazu came flying above him. The lion rolled his eyes and ignored the bird, but Zazu landed right next to him.<p>

"I've got the morning report, sire."

Scar rubbed his temples for a moment. "Tell me, did someone die, is dying, or will die soon?"

Zazu was taken aback by this question. "Er... Not that I know of, sire..."

"Are we about to break into war with any of the tribes?"

"Um... not war, no, but some animals have been complaining about the hyena pups dirtying up the waterhole..."

"Then I'm not interested in your report, Zazu. Contact me when something actually relevant happens."

Zazu felt terrible; he had spent the whole morning working hard, all for nothing.

The bird swallowed and asked, "Will you actually need my assistance as informant in the future, or am I just wasting my time flying here and there trying to gather information for you?"

Scar chuckled to himself as he proceeded to mark some nearby bushes. "You can fly around as much as you want, just don't come bothering me with things of little importance. Now you go and tell those animals that pups will be pups, and they have as much right to swim in there as any other animal."

"But, sire... the pups-"

"If they don't like the pups hanging out there, then whomever complained can go and find themselves another waterhole. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your majesty," Zazu replied flatly, "Is there anything else you'd rather I focused on instead?"

Scar pondered for a moment. "Now that you mention it... Yes, I want you patrolling by air outside the borders, and alert me of any male rogues nearby. Can you do that?"

Zazu frowned, as Thembi and Mufasa never asked him to patrol outside of the borders, but he nodded and replied softly, "Yes, sire..." The bird took off, leaving Scar alone to finish his job.

When he was done, the lion made his way back to Pride Rock, wondering if Ndani had already returned with the outlander lionesses.

Judging from the roars coming from Pride Rock, the strangers had arrived. Scar could clearly hear Huria trying to sound scary and imposing.

Scar sped up his step and he slowly was able to understand the discussion going on at their lair.

"You can't just come in here and bring total strangers into the Pride, just because you're the Queen!" Huria yelled.

"Scar, The King, is okay with it, so whatever you think, you can stuff your opinion where the sun don't shine!" Ndani snarled back.

Scar arrived in the middle of the dispute. "What's going on here?"

Huria turned to him, looking enraged. "She says she has your permission to bring strangers into the Pride, is that true?"

"For the umpteenth time, they are not stayin'!" Ndani said, rolling her eyes.

"Huria, Huria," Scar said softly, "Did you make such a fuss when Thembi accepted Dalasini into this pride?"

Huria looked at the King and tried to answer calmly. "Dalasini's presence was needed for a very noble cause, but these lionesses, we don't need them at all, and we don't know what their intentions are!"

"I will talk to them first and find out if they're up to no good, but since they are here under the Queen's personal invitation, I expect you to accept the fact that they are here, and behave in a cordial way towards them," Scar replied firmly.

Huria nodded and joined her pride-mates muttering something that sounded like '...they're strong enough, maybe they'll break your skinny little neck...' but Mahali hushed her, not sure how Scar would take hearing death wishes from within his own pride. Luckily for Huria, Scar did not catch her last words.

Scar turned to Ndani. "So, where are these friends of yours?"

"Down there by acacias, in the shade."

"Let's go then, the rest of you can stay here if you prefer," Scar said, and Ndani chuckled as she followed him, making a rude signal towards Huria, who snarled in return. None of the lionesses followed them to join the meeting with the strangers.

As the King and Queen approached the acacias, Scar was able to see three golden shapes lying down together. The strangers were huddled close and whispering words he could not understand.

"Hey, guys!" Ndani called.

The lionesses looked up, and stood up slowly, shaking off the dust of their pelts.

Scar and Ndani reached the shade of the trees, and he looked at the Outlanders from up close for the first time.

"Scar, this is my best friend, Zira. Zira, this is my mate, Scar," she said, grinning proudly.

Scar stared at Zira while Ndani introduced the other two lionesses, whose names were Kahawia and Njano.

Zira in turn looked back at this skinny lion, whom she had only seen from afar. Despite his lack of muscle mass, she found him rather attractive from up close.

Without exchanging a word, it was already clear to Scar that Zira was the most dominant of the three, while the other two lionesses flanked her sides, like a pair of bodyguards. She was not intimidated at all by Scar's presence, on the contrary, she was trying to make herself as tall as possible, craning her neck, and looking proud.

The lioness even took a step forward, to let him know she was not afraid.

"Zira..." Scar said nonchalantly, "We finally get to meet. Ndani has told me much about you."

Zira smirked. "Bad things only, I hope?" she said in a deep, rich voice.

Scar chuckled. "Alas, no, good things as well."

"Damn you, Ndani, ruining my reputation like that..." Zira replied, sizing Scar up and down. She was sure she could take him down easily if he were to attack, but Scar was totally at ease and gave no signs to try and intimidate them.

Ndani chuckled and sat next to her friends. "So, do you believe it now? I'm the Queen of this joint!"

Zira turned to Ndani and then to Scar, as if waiting for his confirmation.

"It is true, I've chosen her to rule by my side."

"Is it true also what we heard about the hyenas, and you sparing a cub's life?" Zira asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"Yes, it is. You're welcome to take a tour and see for yourself if you want."

Zira, who had never been inside the Pride Lands before, was actually curious as to what was so special about this place. She decided to accept Scar's offer. "A tour... That sounds like a charming idea."

Ndani laughed some more and she told Zira, "Listen to yourself, tryin' to sound all polite and all!"

"Well, we are in the presence of a King, aren't we? We must behave our best," Zira replied a bit sarcastically, but smiled at Scar all the same.

Scar simply told them, "Well, follow me, then." He turned around and left without another word.

The lionesses looked at each other and shrugged. They followed Scar silently, as the lion led the way. He kept glancing backwards to make sure that the lionesses were keeping up. Scar could see Kahawia and Njano looking around, but he noticed that Zira kept her eyes on him most of the time. The lion smiled to himself, as he felt that this would turn out to be a rather interesting evening.


	8. Getting Acquainted

_Chapter 8_

**Getting Acquainted**

Scar and Ndani had shown the Outlanders some of the landmarks around Pride Rock, such as the waterhole, the gorge, Rafiki's baobab in the distance, but what had impressed Zira the most was the size of Pride Rock from up close. She found it to be the most impressive lair she had ever seen, and she'd seen quite a few.

"It's so majestic..." she had said once she was by the base of the rock.

Njano and Kahawia had wholeheartedly agreed with her, it was a beautiful territory, and the three of them could see why the Pride Lands had such a well known good reputation. There was plenty of food and enough water, something that they could not find that easily in the Outlands.

Njano turned to Ndani as they headed towards the promontory and said, "I can't believe you seriously thought about runnin' away and leavin' this place. Are you bonkers or what?"

Ndani shrugged slightly. "When the peeps around you suck, the place becomes quite sucky too. Don't you agree, Scar?"

The lion simply nodded.

Zira chuckled. "Ah, yes, you left too, to live with the hyenas, hmm? Wow, the company must have been rather _sucky _back then."

The lion was about to reply when he came face to face with the lionesses of his own pride. "Ah, ladies," he said, glad he could switch topic, "let me introduce you to Ndani's guests of honour, Zira, Kahawia and Njano."

The lionesses on both prides quickly sized each other up, while they muttered, "Charmed," through clenched teeth.

Scar could feel the tension rising from both sides, with fangs bared and bristled backs all around him, so he tried to calm them down.

"Everyone, just relax, this is a peaceful meeting, remember that? I am taking our guests here to admire the view from the promontory, and later, if they want, they can join us for dinner."

The Outlanders perked their ears when they heard this, and immediately dropped their threatening attitude. The three of them hadn't eaten in a few days, so the prospect of a meal was extremely appealing, enough for them to make an effort to be friendly towards Scar's Pride.

The Pride Landers weren't as happy with the idea, but it was clear that Scar had made up his mind, and they knew that anyone who complained at this point would probably get in trouble for contradicting the King and Queen. They kept quiet as they watched the intruders following Scar up towards the promontory.

Once they had reached the tip, Scar and the lionesses sat down to admire the sunset. The Outlanders were practically speechless, they had traveled a lot but never seen anything as beautiful as this.

"We shouldn't have come..." Kahawia said at last, "It's gonna suck majorly having to go back to the Outlands, after seeing all this..."

"Don't think about that now," Ndani said, and nuzzled the lioness.

Scar eyed the four lionesses, who were lost in the landscape of the Pride Lands. Zira had a hungry expression on her face that had nothing to do with the fact that they had not eaten in days.

"I'll leave you to enjoy the view, and I'll see you down by the cave," Scar said, and the lionesses nodded in return.

Zira turned around to make sure Scar was gone, and then whispered, "I never knew you had it this good, Ndani, I agree with Njano, I can't believe you had the nerve to complain."

Kahawia nodded, "This place is totally worth sucking up to a male lion. Hell, I'm even gonna go hunt somethin' for him right now if he admits me into his pride!"

The Outlanders chuckled, since one of their rules was never to hunt for a male lion; the hard-working lionesses always come first.

Ndani looked at them worriedly, never expecting that these carefree lionesses would be so impressed by these lands, that they would even submit to the authority of a male lion, just to be able to stay.

"I don't think you could handle it," Ndani said, "All these rules, and things you have to do for Scar... You don't have to worry about that on the Outlands!"

Njano laughed and said, "I'd be willing to give it a try!"

Ndani frowned for a moment. She didn't mind at all to have her friends around, but she knew the Pride Landers would not accept them with open arms, just like that.

"Well... If you're seriously considering it, I can talk to Scar about it, see what we can do..."

Zira smiled at Ndani but shook her head. "Let's not be hasty... We don't want to seem too eager either, do we?" she asked her pride-mates.

Both lionesses shook their heads, regardless of whether they sincerely agreed with Zira or not.

They remained quiet for a moment, watching the sky turn dark with the arrival of the night. They could see some hyenas down below, lounging on the grass and looking rather content.

"What is your pride's view on the hyenas being here?" Zira asked Ndani.

"They don't like it at all, but the hyenas keep to themselves and have stuck to the rules that Karanga set up, so so far no major complaints. Scar's points went downhill after that though, but he recovered his popularity with the Nala stunt."

Zira nodded and went silent again, feeling rather intrigued by this lion who did not have it as easy as most of the Kings before him did, who were loved and pampered by everyone. Zira had learned through Ndani that Scar's childhood had not been ideal thanks to old King Thembi, but the young lioness had never gone into details.

"Anyway... Shall we go eat something?" Ndani suggested, "You can rest your tummies and stay the night, and leave tomorrow, if you want."

Zira nodded. "Let's do that."

They all followed Ndani down the promontory and joined the rest of the lionesses, who were waiting for Scar to finish eating. They didn't say a word to each other, but Zira glanced towards Sarafina, who was being pounced on by Nala, the cub whose life Scar had spared.

Zira was forced to think about when she was younger and her own pride was taken over by a passing rogue. The sight of all the blood-stained cubs, lying on the grass, broken and lifeless, still haunted her in her dreams sometimes. They all had been about Nala's age and younger, but no one was spared, no matter how much the mothers pleaded for their babies' lives.

Zira shook her head and looked away.

The two other Outlanders in the meantime were becoming impatient; they paced back and forth, glancing at the food longingly.

Scar looked up once had had his fill, and saw the lionesses nearby. He knew that there would be tremendous fits of anger and aggression if he allowed them to eat all together, so instead he divided the left overs in two. He took the smaller portion to the three Outlanders, and signaled with his head to the Pride Landers that they could take the rest.

The Outlanders dived in and ate ravenously, completely ignoring the dirty looks from Huria, who seemed to be the most distrustful of them all. The rest of the Pride Landers ate quietly, not paying attention to the visitors at all.

Scar looked at his Queen, torn between eating from the Pride Landers' share, or from the Outlanders' share. She eventually decided to join her own pride, so that the Outlanders could have more food for themselves.

The lion looked at Ndani's friends more intently now, taking advantage of the fact that they were distracted eating. They were all rather skinny, but he could see their muscles underneath their skin, rippling with every move they made. Zira looked older than the other two, and had more battle scars than the rest. He could clearly see that she had been involved in some serious fights, but had lived to tell the tale afterwards. He felt rather curious as to what her story was.

Zira, having finished eating, stretched herself, looking quite content.

Scar watched her as she did so. Despite her being an Outlander, she carried herself with so much self-confidence that she could have said she was royalty and he would have believed her. While she was not extremely beautiful, compared to Sarafina, he still kept looking at her with curiosity, only this time the lioness in question was not giving him dirty looks in return.

On the contrary, Zira caught him looking, and she walked to him and whispered, "It's rude to stare, you know."

"I was only trying to figure out what happened to your ear," he replied, not willing to admit he had been looking at her all this time.

The lioness smirked, flicking her damaged ear a few times. "I might tell you the story, if Ndani invites us over again sometime..."

Scar grinned and looked at Ndani, who was attempting to eat, but kept being pushed away by Huria.

The lion frowned and stood up, heading towards the eating lionesses, but Huria didn't notice.

Zira sat down and watched Scar with curiosity.

"Go eat with your mates," Huria snarled, "this is for Pride Landers only."

"Huria, cut it out and let her eat," Karanga said.

Ndani tried to take another bite, but Huria's shoulder got in the way.

Karanga snarled to Huria as a warning. Then she turned to Ndani and told her, "Just come eat by my side, dear."

Ndani was about to move but she saw that all the lionesses, except Huria, had stopped eating all of a sudden. Ndani turned to look behind her and saw Scar standing there.

Huria eventually noticed that she was the only one still eating, and looked at her pride-mates with a puzzled expression. She glanced over her shoulder, and the sight of Scar glaring down at her made her swallow the piece of meat she was chewing on almost whole. She choked on the process and had to cough a couple of times.

"What part of the phrase 'Ndani is the Queen' don't you understand? How can I put it more clearly to you so that you will respect her?" the lion said, baring his fangs at Huria.

"I was just joking!"

"Well, I have a funny one for you. Step away from the meal."

Huria snarled and didn't move.

"Step away, Huria."

The lioness, still angry at him for allowing hyenas and strange lionesses into the Pride Lands, simply replied, "Make me."

The Pride-Landers gasped in unison.

"Huria, please, just step away!" Sita urged, but the lioness didn't budge.

"Are you challenging me?" Scar asked, looking amused.

The lioness only gave a snarl in reply and poised herself to attack.

Scar chuckled and smiled a bit. "Listen, Huria," he said as he circled the angry lioness, "When I invited the hyenas over, they were so grateful that they wanted to offer something in return, a... token of appreciation, so to speak. They offered me protection, if I ever got in trouble, and they even taught me their distress call."

Huria snorted. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me..."

Scar lifted his head and made a rather strange loud sound with his throat, which didn't sound like a normal roar.

The lionesses tilted their head, but immediately huddled together when in a matter of seconds hyenas started pouring in from all sides.

"Whassup, Scar, you called?" one of the hyenas said, looking around wondering why Scar had summoned them.

Huria stopped growling and looked at the present hyenas, knowing very well she could not defend herself against all of them.

Scar yelled out loud, "If anyone else is getting ideas about trying to take me on and what not, consider yourselves warned, I am _not _alone. So I suggest you start showing more respect to your rulers now. I think I have been a tolerant King so far, so, please, do not test my patience."

Some of the lionesses nodded meekly, the more assertive ones replied, "Yes, Scar."

Scar explained quickly to the hyenas why he had summoned them, and thanked them for coming.

"So, where were we... Oh, yes. Huria, step away from the meal."

Huria growled again but stepped back this time.

"You will wait until everyone else has eaten, understood?"

Huria nodded and looked away.

"And to prevent this from happening again in the future, Ndani will be eating along with me from now on."

Ndani looked at him, startled, but smiled gratefully.

"Okay, I think that's all, carry on," Scar told the shaken lionesses, and dismissed the hyenas, who enjoyed intimidating Huria by making clicking noises with their strong jaws as they walked away.

The lion returned to where Zira was sitting, hoping she had also gotten the message that he was not someone to be messed with.

Zira smirked. She liked how he had stepped up to defend his mate. "Wow, so Ndani gets first pick now too... She's so lucky, having such friends in high places."

Scar grunted slightly. "Huria's walked over her long enough. I hope she finally got the message across that I won't tolerate more disrespect towards me or Ndani."

"Looks like she did," Zira replied, looking at the lioness sulking not far away from where the pride was eating. "Anyway," she went on, "Ndani said we could spend the night, and be on our way tomorrow. Is that okay with you too?"

Scar looked at her. "Yes, of course. You and your friends can stay at the southern ledge; it's a pleasant place to get some sleep."

Zira nodded as she stared at Scar's pride thoughtfully.

"Have you been roaming the Outlands for long?" Scar asked her, after a moment of silence.

Zira nodded. "Most of my life. But we don't stay in one place all the time; we travel around and spend a lot of time here and there."

"Are Kahawia and Njano family of yours?"

Zira eyed her mates, who were grooming each other after the satisfying meal. "Kahawia is my cousin, and we picked Njano along the way. Ndani would've probably become one of us too, but she was so young and green when she first came to me, so I sent her back here, to think things over. She's all grown now though, and I'm sure she would have left with us sometime soon, if you hadn't chosen her as your Queen."

Scar looked at her and chuckled. "Knowing Ndani, she'll keep sneaking out to check on you. You three mean a lot to her, she always came back in a good mood from visiting you."

Zira grinned. "I have to say... It's not every day that the King chooses the lowest ranking lioness as his mate."

Scar said nothing, not wishing to discuss this matter too deeply with her.

Zira went on, "She never mentioned you showing any interest in her or anything."

"We get along rather well, that's more than I can say from the other lionesses," he said flatly.

Zira looked as the Pride-Landers moved away from the meal, having made sure to leave enough meat for Huria. The punished lioness sat down by the food on her own and ate quietly.

Ndani approached Scar and gave him a quick nuzzle for having supported her once again. "Man, you showed her!"

Scar accepted her nuzzle but told her firmly, "You really need to learn how to stand up to them, Ndani."

The lioness looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed, and muttered softly, "I know..." She quickly changed the topic. "We didn't know about your special arrangement with the hyenas. The whole Pride was going on about it during dinner, they seemed pretty shocked."

"And they will do well to remember it. The hyenas are more than willing to protect the King that lift the ban on their kind, regardless of whether the threats are coming from inside or outside the Pride Lands," Scar said.

Zira stood up and stretched herself again, yawning slightly. "Mind showing me the place where we can sleep? I feel a nice nap coming up..."

Scar nodded. "Ndani, why don't you show them to the Southern ledge? You can also spend the night there with them if you like."

Ndani grinned and nodded in return. "Come, this way..."

Njano and Kahawia stood up and walked towards the Queen.

"Good night," Zira told Scar, "We will leave early in the morning. In case we don't see you then, thanks for your hospitality."

Scar grinned slightly and said, "Anytime."

Zira smiled at him and walked away, swishing her tail as she did so.

Ndani looked at Zira, and then at Scar, but said nothing.

"Follow me," Ndani told the three lionesses, and led them towards the Southern ledge.

Ndani glanced over her shoulder and saw Scar heading towards the cave.

"So..." she said to her friends in general, "What do you think of him?"

Zira shrugged. "He's not too bad, for a male."

"Oh, really?" Ndani replied, "I could've sworn I saw ya flauntin' your tail at him."

Zira appeared to look shocked. "Me? I'd never do that."

Ndani smirked slightly. "It's okay if you like him. You know he and I aren't really in love and stuff."

As the lionesses settled down on the ledge, Kahawia hesitated for a moment, but said at last, "I can see why, he doesn't seem to be very lovable."

Njano looked at her. "Why do you think that?"

"He's kinda cold 'n distant, I barely saw him interact with his pride at all, but when he did, it was in a very condescending way. And scarin' that lioness, that was-"

"Huria had it coming," Ndani interrupted her, "she was being nasty to me, and she dared to disobey him!"

Kahawia snorted. "See? That's what I like about not havin' any males around. We don't have to obey no one."

Njano nodded. "You got a point there, Ndani, but that lioness probably put a lot of effort in the hunt, and now she ain't allowed to eat from it, just 'cause she teased the King's honey..."

Zira cleared her throat. "According to Scar, her teasing was gettin' outta hand lately. Still, I liked the way he handled things. Any other male would have gone and slapped her silly. But this guy here... He kept his cool. Just a few words, and okay, a rather scary set of bodyguards to defend him, I admit, but that was all he needed to show her her place. He's certainly got power over them, I'd say..."

Kahawia sighed and rested her head on her legs. "I'm not sure that instilling fear in others equals power."

Zira did not agree with her mate. She had been frozen by fear once, and made others freeze too in turn. She enjoyed the sensation greatly, and she could only describe it as power. But Zira said nothing in return.

"Hey, Ndani, you never told us how the wedding night went," Njano said, giving her a naughty grin.

The other two lionesses perked their ears up and looked at her curiously.

"Er... That's none of your business!" she said, chuckling.

"Come on, tell us!" Kahawia insisted.

Zira simply looked at her with an amused expression.

Ndani quickly thought back to the day when Karanga called her and her sisters for a private talk about how cubs were made. She tried to recall what words Karanga had used to describe how it all went.

"It was... okay, I guess. Painful, but quick and... Stop it, you guys!" she said when Njano and Kahawia started giggling. "Maybe Zira can tell you sometime soon, I think she's got an eye on him," she added, hoping that the lionesses would focus on Zira instead.

Zira shook her head. "He is good looking and all, but you know me. I've never been one to settle down with a mate."

"Whoa, who's talking about settling down? Just take him to the bushes when you feel like it!" Njano said.

The lionesses laughed, and Zira rolled her eyes, while smiling to herself. "We will see, when that time comes. For now, I could really use some sleep. So stop yappin'."

Zira chose a corner far away from the three giggling lionesses, and could only hope that they'd keep it down, as she could tell they were not as sleepy as she felt.

Kahawia turned to Ndani and whispered, "So you really wouldn't mind if we asked your new handsome mate for favours?"

Ndani shook her head. "I told ya already, we're not in love. And even if we were, what kind of Queen would I be if I didn't let him help my fellow pride-mates? We'd die out eventually! And I cannot be producing all the cubs to keep a pride goin', ya know."

Njano chuckled and added while keeping her voice down, "Speaking of cubs, have you gotten over your fear of motherhood already? 'Cause I assume TopCat here would really like to have an heir sometime, right?"

Ndani sighed deeply. "He's givin' me time. He says he doesn't need one right now, but well, I guess when he asks for it I'll have to comply, no?"

"No," came Zira's sleepy voice from her far corner, "it's the lionesses who go to the male. As long as you keep on running away every time, like you've been doing so far, he can't do nothing."

The lionesses smiled to each other, but Ndani frowned slightly. "If I ran away, he's bound to ask why I've been gone for days, and I can't just tell him that I'm in season but I don't want him near me..."

"Yeah, that's bound to piss him off..." Kahawia replied thoughtfully.

Njano chuckled again. "Funny thing, a few days ago your worries were whether you'd be let into the hunting party or not, and now we're here, discussing the future next King of the Pride Lands... What a crazy world."

Ndani smiled quietly and lied down on the stone floor.

"Shouldn't you be going back to him?" Kahawia asked.

Ndani shook her head. "Scar said I could stay with you guys."

"Great!" the lioness replied, and the three of them huddled together to keep warm.

Zira had not said anything else since her last contribution to the conversation, and it was not long after when the three lionesses joined her in a very peaceful and satisfying nap.

* * *

><p>When Scar went to look at the Southern ledge the next morning, he looked a bit disappointed to see that the four lionesses had been long gone. He could trace the Outlanders' trail, heading towards the border, and Ndani's own scent, leading towards the waterhole.<p>

The lion decided to go join his new mate and quench his thirst.

Scar was walking absentmindedly when he heard loud voices in the distance. He pricked his ears to listen better and hurried his step.

As he got closer, he could see that there were several animals gathered around the waterhole, all addressing Ndani with angry expressions.

"Look at it, it's undrinkable!" was the complaint of an elephant that Scar could not recognize.

"You're the Queen, do something!" came the cries of a couple of zebras in the background.

Scar stayed behind and watched the scene from afar, to see what Ndani would do under these circumstances.

Ndani was visibly nervous, as she hadn't expected such an ambush when she came there for a drink earlier that morning.

"Okay, everyone, please, one at a time!" she yelled, and pointed to a giraffe who hadn't said much yet, "You. Can you tell me -without yelling your butt off- what the heck is the problem?"

The animals hushed and made some room for Mfupi, the giraffe Ndani was addressing. He looked around nervously but eventually bent down to talk to Ndani.

"It's the hyena pups, your highness," he said, while some of the animals chuckled at the thought of a giraffe calling anyone else _highness_.

"They come here to play," Mfupi went on, ignoring the other animals, "but leave everything a mess. We've told them not to disturb the water too much but it looks as if they've done the opposite."

Ndani eyed the water, which was not as clear as she remembered it. It looked murky and brown, and she couldn't see the bottom anymore. She bent over and took a few sips, and grimaced slightly.

"Tastes of sand..." she muttered.

"We asked Zazu to tell the new King about this but... Apparently he doesn't seem to think this is a serious matter."

Ndani nodded slightly and turned to an Impala who yelled, "It's not fair, we tell our young ones to behave and be good, and those little hyena punks are running around like they own the place, with no one to show them some discipline! I am sure that if it had been my little one messing around, he would have been dealt with already!"

The animals nodded.

"We want equal rules for everyone and the rule here is no thrashing around in the waterhole! If they want to swim, they can go to the lake, just like everyone else!" came a yell from the background, which was met with more yells of agreement and "Hear, Hear!"

Ndani looked around and the animals hushed for a moment to hear what she had to say.

"Ok here's what I'm gonna do. I'll talk to the hyena pups and their mums, see if we can reach an agreement or something," she told them in a loud voice that sounded rather confident, "In the meantime you can go to the waterhole close to the northern border instead. I've been there recently and the water's clean."

The animals muttered that it was too far away, but they knew they had no other choice for the time being. They thanked the Queen for her time and walked away while wishing her good luck in dealing with the hyenas.

Ndani sat there for a moment, staring at her reflection in the dirty water. She suddenly saw Scar's reflection next to hers, so looked up in surprise. "Scar! I didn't hear you coming."

The lion stared into the water. "I happened to witness your exchange with the animals. You seemed strong and confident, but do you really think you can handle talking to the hyenas?"

Ndani shrugged. "I think they wouldn't mind dealing with me, at least we sorta get along."

Scar smirked and added, "I heard they favor Shada too. If you want, you can go together."

Ndani nodded and turned to look at him. "Why did you ignore Zazu when he told you about this problem?"

Scar rolled his eyes. "That bird makes a fuss about everything. And the animals, they just love to complain about every little thing, you will learn soon enough. As if there weren't any other water sources around here..."

Scar took a few sips of the dirty water. "Not too bad, see?" he said, trying to keep a straight face.

Ndani grinned. "You ain't foolin' me; it tastes like crap!"

"If you say so. Anyway," the lion said, changing subject, "I'm off on patrol. If you'd rather wait until I am back to go to the hyenas-"

"I'll be fine," she interrupted, "don't worry about me."

"Talk to Shenzi first, she can quickly rally the mothers and pups for you."

"Will do. I'll tell you how it went when you come back."

Scar gave her a quick nod and walked in the opposite direction, while Ndani made her way back to Pride Rock.

Once there, the lioness scanned the horizon and spotted Shenzi, sitting with her brothers. They appeared to be gnawing on a bone. She padded towards them, feeling nervous as she didn't know how they would react.

Shenzi looked up when she heard someone approaching them. "Hey, it's the new Queen! Bow, you guys." she said, clearly not bowing herself.

Banzai snorted. "We don't even bow to Scar, don't overdo it, sis."

"Hi there," Ndani said, trying to smile and look friendly, but the hyenas could tell that the lioness was not completely at ease.

"Whassup?" Shenzi asked her, while still gnawing on her bone.

"The animals are bitching about them hyena pups. They messed up the waterhole badly, so I'd like a word with the pups and their mums," Ndani said all this very quickly and without stopping to breathe.

Shenzi looked at her, rising her eyebrows. "Wow, so you're steppin' up to your responsibilities! And here I was, thinkin' you were just havin' the good life, under Scar's watchful eye..."

Ndani frowned. "Why would you think that? I've only been Queen for a coupla days, there hasn't been much chance for me to do _anything_!"

Shenzi smirked. "Well, now's your chance. Come with me!" the hyena said, and Ndani followed her, feeling annoyed at the image that the hyenas had formed about her.

Shenzi summoned the nursing mothers and their young ones to her, through something Ndani could only describe as a loud, whooping howl coming deep from the back of the hyena's throat.

In a rather short time several hyenas gathered round, some had their pups with them, others left the young ones at the den. They were looking around, wondering why they were summoned.

"Scar's new mate and Queen wants a word with you lot," Shenzi told them, and all the looks were fixed on the young lioness in front of them.

Ndani stepped forward and cleared her throat. "Um... Hi... For those who don't know me yet, my name's Ndani, and since a coupla days ago Scar chose me as his Queen. This means I gotta help him with things around here, so you might see and hear from me more often now."

The hyenas nodded and listened quietly, some of them hushing their pups and urging them to pay attention.

"I was at the waterhole this mornin' and I met with other animals who had gone there for a drink, but turns out we couldn't drink a thing because the water's all messed up. They said it was the hyena pups, that had been playing and thrashing in the water."

There was a murmur to this, followed by several louder voices saying things on the lines of "It wasn't my pups, they can't walk yet!" or "I take them myself and never saw them trashin' the place!"

Ndani tried to get their attention again. "Listen, I am not pointing any paws, the animals at the waterhole only mentioned that it was hyena pups doin' it and that's that. So all I wanted to ask ye is to tell your pups to be more careful, or send them along with a sitter, to make sure that they behave. I don't think it's an unreasonable request from the animals; I mean, I tried the water myself, and it tasted nasty."

There was another murmur of voices but Ndani couldn't catch anything this time, so she went on, "They suggested that if your pups are in for a swim, the lake is a much better place for that. But you shouldn't let 'em go on their own, they must go with a sitter, ya never know who might be there."

One of the pups that had been listening in stepped forward for a moment and asked, "Can Shada take us?"

Ndani looked at the pup with a surprised expression. "Shada? Why her?"

"She already took on a croc! She can take anything that's messing around on that lake!" the pup said enthusiastically.

The rest of the pups belonging to the Trouble-Makers gang agreed and looked at Ndani with excited faces.

Ndani smiled and nodded. "Okay, I will ask her and see what she says, but you must promise to keep the waterhole clean. Deal?"

The pups nodded.

Ndani turned to the hyenas and asked them, "Would you have any objections if one of us did the sitting?"

The hyenas looked at each other a bit unsure, but the pups had told them so much about Shada and her friendly nature towards them, that the mothers agreed in the end.

The lioness nodded. "Fine, I'll talk to Shada first then and will let you know. I guess this is all, so thanks for your time."

The hyenas walked away back to what they were doing before they were summoned, while Shenzi gave Ndani a toothy grin. "Not too shabby, for someone who's bottom of the pack..."

"You know, I kinda wish everyone would stop rubbing that on my face..." Ndani muttered, "I'm as shocked as everyone else that Scar would pick me, but enough is enough."

The hyena smirked. "Okay, okay. So, will her Majesty need anythin' else or can I go on about my business?"

Ndani shook her head. "That'll be all for now, thanks."

Shenzi went back to her siblings and kept gnawing on her bone, while Ndani walked back to the cave to see what the other lionesses were up to. She hoped that she would be able to join the hunt this time, but to her disappointment, the hunting party had already left, so Ndani had no other choice but to wait along with the lionesses in cub duty.

Even though she was the Queen, she still felt she didn't fit in with her own pride. She hoped that her pride-mates would be more accepting of her in time, hopefully without Scar having to force them to respect her.


	9. Ndani's Invitation

_Chapter 9_

**Ndani's Invitation**

Several weeks went by, and things were running smoothly between the hyenas and the lion pride. The pups had stuck to their part of the deal and the waterhole remained undisturbed, which made Ndani gain more respect in the eyes of the animals she had dealt with.

Shada had gladly accepted to take the hyena pups to the lake for a swim once in a while, joined always by Nala, who felt very lonely now that there were no other cubs in the Pride to play with.

Sarafina had inquired whether any of the lionesses felt like giving Nala a playmate to hang out with, but so far no one had dared to go to Scar for his assistance in that matter. Scar himself had not given it much thought; he knew the lionesses would eventually come to him, but he was not in a hurry.

Scar had hoped to see Zira again, but after their visit to the Pride Lands, the Outlanders had practically vanished. Not even Ndani knew where they had gone. So every time he went on border patrol, he kept an eye open to see if he could spot them in the distance.

One bright and sunny afternoon, the Pride Lands lionesses were sitting outside the cave, chatting animatedly. Scar was just returning from his rounds and approached to see what the commotion was about. He could smell their excitement in the air and his curiosity was piqued.

"I can't believe they are ready, time goes so fast..." Sita said.

Karanga and Anasa smiled proudly as they nuzzled their daughters. Mahali, Tahlili and Shada had passed their hunting test, and were ready for their first real hunt. It was tradition that the lionesses had to go on their own and hunt something by themselves, to prove that they were worthy of a place at the Pride's Hunting Party.

It didn't have to be a big catch, it was actually more of a symbolic hunt, but for the young lionesses it meant a lot. It was their coming of age sign; after this, they would no longer be treated as cubs, but as adults.

Ndani saw Scar approaching and walked to greet him with a soft head-butt.

"What's going on? Why is everyone so happy?" he asked.

"Tahlili, Shada and Mahali have passed the test, so they will have their First Hunt soon."

"I see," Scar replied, looking at the three young lionesses who had grown a lot ever since he returned to Pride Rock.

Scar approached the Pride, and while the lionesses were more reserved when he was around, they all had a hard time concealing their excitement. It was always a big event when a lioness was allowed to hunt for real.

"Ndani tells me you three are ready for the big day," he said, while the young lionesses nodded in unison. "Let me know when it will be, so that I can tell the hyenas to keep out of your way."

"Thanks," they replied, smiling proudly.

Mahali, who was older than the other two, had failed the test twice before, but now that she had finally passed, she was determined to hunt something and display it proudly in front of her mother and the King.

Scar lied down to rest his paws for a while, and Ndani joined him, as the rest of the lionesses kept chatting and reminiscing about their first hunts.

The lion appeared thoughtful for a moment and finally told her, "I can't remember your first hunt, nor your sisters'..."

Ndani bit her lip for a moment as she recalled that day. "You had gone to live with the hyenas already when it happened."

"Hmm. So how did it go?"

"Oh it went fine," she said a bit too quickly.

Scar looked at her with curiosity. "Just fine? Tell me more, what did you hunt?"

"A meerkat," she replied, not going into more details.

"Impressive. They're rather fast and hard to catch..." Scar said, knowing Ndani was hiding something from him.

The lioness stood up and walked away, towards the cave. The rest of the Pride took no notice and kept on discussing the upcoming special hunt.

Scar followed his mate, looking forward to a bit of shade as well. He sat down next to her and tried to look into her eyes, but the lioness avoided eye contact.

"You didn't hunt that meerkat, did you?"

Ndani quickly looked around to make sure they were alone, and shook her head. "Found 'im dead already. But I had been trying to hunt something all day without success... I was about to give up and come back home empty handed, when I saw some buzzards flyin' around... so I went to check it out and managed to snatch the stiff from their ugly beaks just in time."

Scar found this all rather humorous, but he knew that for a lioness, scavenging during her first hunt was considered cheating.

"I assume it all worked out and no one found out?"

"Rafiki knew, somehow. But he never told anyone. He did congratulate me in secret when I managed to get my first real kill. I dunno how he does it, he just always knows too much."

Scar frowned when he heard this, and wondered what else the old baboon might know.

It struck him all of a sudden that ever since he assumed the throne, Rafiki had given no signs of knowing what had really happened to Simba or Mufasa, but he had certainly kept his distance and didn't come to visit as often as he used to when Mufasa was still around.

"It's that shell of his. He uses it to predict the future..." Scar said after a short moment of silence, "Do you think it can also see into the past?"

Ndani tilted her head, looking confused. "Why would anyone want to look back? It's what's coming up that matters..."

Scar nodded and changed the topic. "Still no sight of your friends, by the way."

Ndani chuckled. "I told ya, they do that all the time. They'll be back when you least expect them and they'll be like they weren't gone at all. Don't expect any explanations as to where they've been either!"

Scar gave her a small smile and proceeded to sharpen his nails on one of the cave's rock walls.

"Ya know, I never told you this, but I think Zira sorta has an eye for you," Ndani whispered.

Scar kept on sharpening his nails as he listened.

The lioness went on, "She says she doesn't, but I dunno, there's something about the way she reacted towards you... I mean, I've seen her with other lions, and it's all cursin' and threatenin' until either he challenges her to a fight, or he walks away, usually calling her a freak or somethin' less nice."

Scar smirked and looked at Ndani. "And what would a strong lioness like her see in a scrawny lion like me?"

"Power," Ndani replied without hesitation.

Scar raised an eyebrow.

"She needs to bare her teeth and growl and fight to get her point across, but she likes how you can pull it off with just a coupla words."

Scar looked at his nails as he retracted and extended them repeatedly, but it was clear he was listening to Ndani with rapt attention.

"Anyway, I told her it was ok if she liked you and all, I'm not the jealous type," she added, grinning at him.

Scar walked to her and sat by her side. "I guess time will tell, if she ever decides to come back..." he said, keeping his own personal opinion about Zira to himself.

Ndani gave him a friendly nuzzle. "She knows where you and I stand and that we're good friends. Heck, I still find it hard to believe that you and I get along so well right now... Remember when we were cubs?"

Scar pushed her away gently and walked away. "I do, and I'd rather not think back to those days."

Ndani's ears drooped slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to upset ya... I'm just glad things changed, that's all..."

Scar looked over his shoulder and gave her a small nod. "I'll be back later," he said, as he walked out of the cave.

"Hey, where you goin'?" she called.

"To Rafiki, since you happened to mention him..." Scar replied, "I haven't seen him in a while, and I'm curious about what his shell has to say."

Ndani smiled a bit. "Okay, I'll talk to ya later!"

The lioness hoped that he wasn't too mad at her for bringing up his childhood memories. She went to join the rest of the Pride again, who were eager to organize the youngster's First Hunt day.

* * *

><p>Scar made his way to Rafiki's baobab, and was greeted by several hyenas along the way. He had never seem them looking as well fed as they did now, and it reflected in their mood too. They looked rather content.<p>

The lion reached Rafiki's home, and he could see the baboon rustling at the top, looking very concentrated on something. Scar was about to call him when Rafiki shushed him and said, "I'll be with you in a second."

Scar frowned and sat down under the shade of the tree, while listening to Rafiki mumbling to himself from above.

"Yes! That's it!" the baboon said, and clapped excitedly. Not long after that, he climbed down the tree and greeted Scar with a grin.

"I just recreated a very tough healing brew, and it turned out perfect!"

Scar glanced upwards. He could smell the scent of Rafiki's concoction, which was rather appealing.

"So! What brings you here today, Hatari?" Rafiki asked.

"I haven't seen you in a while. I was wondering if you were avoiding me," the lion replied.

Rafiki frowned, wondering if Scar had really missed him. After all, the new King had not shown many signs of wanting to keep a strong friendship with him. Scar's visits to his tree were sporadic, and the baboon felt they didn't really share a connection.

"I've just been away, that's all. Some of the ingredients for my potions are hard to come by around this area, so every now and then I have to disappear for a while. But I did tell Zazu that I was leaving. Didn't he rely the message?"

Scar growled slightly. "No, he did not."

"Strange," Rafiki said, "maybe he forgot?"

Scar shrugged, still looking annoyed. "Anyway, it's been quite a while since you've looked into your shell for me, and I was wondering..."

Rafiki smiled. "Ah, yes, I think you were still a cub back then..."

The baboon climbed up his tree rather quickly, making a lot of noise as he searched for something. Not long after he came down, carrying his scrying shell.

Scar peered into it, but all he could see was a bit of water.

Rafiki reached into the lion's dark mane and ruffled it slightly, taking some loose hair from it.

"What do you need that for?" Scar asked, as he combed his mane back with a paw.

Rafiki threw the hair into the water and shook his shell a couple of times. "The prediction will be more about you, as opposed to getting a general prediction that's harder to decipher."

Scar nodded and peered into the water again, staring at the ripples that formed as Rafiki shook the shell.

Rafiki put the shell down on the ground and looked into the water with a concentrated expression.

"What do you actually look for?" Scar asked him, as he couldn't see anything special inside the shell.

"Everything is a sign, my dear Hatari. From how long it takes for the water to settle, does the hair sink or float, has the water changed colour or consistency... Now, let me think, otherwise I might miss something important."

Scar hushed and waited for the baboon to decipher the meaning of the shell's signs.

Rafiki sat down, crossing his legs, and humming quietly to himself, looking very concentrated. He looked up at Scar after a while.

"Now, let's see..." the baboon said, "Your alliance with the hyenas grows stronger by the day, they respect you and admire how you kept the promise you made to them, but it looks like one day it will take more than promises of food to keep them on your side."

Scar chuckled slightly. "What more could they want?"

Rafiki shook his head, "I don't know, the shell doesn't say." He stared into the shell again and his face lit up as he went on. "According to this bit here, your Pride will grow... There will be cubs, can't tell how many, but it's several for sure. "

"Who's the mother?" Scar asked, feeling genuinely curious.

"Ah, unfortunately the shell doesn't spell out names, so you will have to find that out on your own," Rafiki replied, giving him a wide grin. "Now, let me concentrate..."

Scar waited in silence, while picturing a few cubs running happily around the lionesses.

All of a sudden, the wind picked up considerably, and Rafiki's expression turned very serious. The baboon looked around him, and swatted around as if he was being bothered by an annoying fly.

Scar frowned when Rafiki grabbed the shell and tossed its contents out and muttering something he could not understand.

"What's wrong?" Scar asked, feeling a bit scared for no apparent reason.

Rafiki waited for a moment, and the wind calmed down. He took a few deep breaths and turned to Scar. "Every now and then I get to establish some sort of connection with the spirit world. I don't always see the ghosts of those who passed, but I can hear them and feel their presence."

Scar swallowed slightly, and listened without interrupting.

"I can't tell who I just felt now, it could have been your own father, or your grandfather, or both."

"Not Mufasa?" Scar ventured to asked.

Rafiki shook his head. "No, it wasn't him. All I know is there was some arguing going on, but it felt as if one of the spirits was tongue-tied and could not speak properly. It's hard to explain, but like I said, it was quite a confusing connection. It felt... It felt as if someone was trying to warn me about something, and the other spirit was holding him back. Does this make any sense to you?"

Scar shook his head, keeping a straight face and muttering, "Not much, no..."

He knew for sure that if it was Thembi trying to reach out to Rafiki, it was because he knew all about what Scar had done to seize the throne. The thought scared him in a way, but also gave him a strong sense of satisfaction, knowing that Thembi was having a hard time up there, and that he could not do anything to change things now.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't see much else before we got interrupted," Rafiki said, "but the last thing I could decipher was that you would face some difficulties ahead, possibly due to weather conditions. I had no time to estimate how serious it would be."

Scar nodded. "Thanks, anyway."

The lion stood up and stretched his legs. "I'm going back to Pride Rock now, but if my father attempts to contact you again, don't believe anything he says, remember all he said about me was a lie."

Rafiki sighed deeply and patted Scar gently on the shoulder. "Say hello to the lionesses for me, will you?"

Scar nodded and walked away, and Rafiki watched him as the lion retreated in the distance.

Once he was alone again, Rafiki picked up his shell and stared at the empty bottom thoughtfully. Looking around for a moment, he bent over the patch of wet soil that was left when he emptied the contents of the shell, and looked for a small strand of Scar's mane. He found it, and held it tight in his hand, closing his eyes.

Rafiki concentrated again, and he felt the wind picking up slightly, but this time it was a peaceful breeze, which contrasted with the troubled sensation he had felt minutes earlier. It was quite soothing, although he received no specific messages from anybody in particular. All he knew is that someone out there wanted him not to worry, and to know that things would work out in the end.

Rafiki understood the message and opened his eyes. He opened his hand and looked at Scar's wet strand of hair, clinging to his palm. He thought of shaking it off, but for some reason he could not explain, he decided to save it instead. The baboon climbed up his tree and collected the bit of hair between some leaves, and stored it safely, hidden between his potion ingredients.

* * *

><p>As the weeks passed, the weather had given no problems to the Pride yet, so Scar quickly forgot about Rafiki's prediction.<p>

The hyenas were still happy with their arrangement with Scar, and showed no signs of being unhappy with the lion, so the he was not too worried about that either.

One sunny afternoon, Shenzi was inspecting a couple of new-born pups, since their mother had politely requested for the leader to give them her blessing.

Not far from there, Asani was waiting for her, pawing the ground a bit impatiently.

Shenzi noticed, and took her time blessing the pups, just to spite her rival.

The grateful mother eventually took the new born pups back to the den, and Shenzi rolled her eyes, as right on cue, Asani approached her.

"You need to come see this," Asani said.

Shenzi followed the younger hyena, who led her back to the rock where they had agreed to bring the food left-overs. Her eyes widened considerably when she saw that a huge pile of uneaten remains had accumulated.

"We're still hunting more than we can eat, and all this perfect food here is going to waste."

Shenzi frowned as she looked at the meat; some of it was starting to spoil already. "Why is no one eating this?" she asked.

"Why eat spoils when you can have the fresh thing, they say," Asani replied, "It seems some of us have forgotten that we'd eat worse things during the times of famine... And now they dare turn their noses away from this," she added, pointing with a paw at the food.

Shenzi sat down and appeared thoughtful. "It is quite a waste..." The hyena chuckled for a moment. "And the animals say hyenas don't hunt and prefer to poach! They'd change their minds if they could take a look at this."

Asani rolled her eyes. "It's not funny, Shenzi. We're gonna get into trouble with the lions again and in the blink of an eye they'll be sendin' us back to the graveyard!"

"Scar wouldn't do that," Shenzi replied, "Besides, what's done is done, we can't bring these guys back from the dead."

Asani bit her lip for a moment. "We could take some of this to the lions..."

Shenzi looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Asani went on, "You know? It's like, okay, we know we messed up, but we wanna make up for it. The point is to let them know that we ain't like the hyenas before us who were just huntin' for fun and stuff."

"It's a good idea. That way we can avoid them going bezerk, like they would do if they find out unexpectedly we've hunted more than we can eat. Besides, that nosy hornbill of theirs is bound to spot this huge pile from above, and I am sure he'll go blabbing to the lions, like he always does."

Shenzi lay down and nibbled on a bone for a moment. "It's a crazy world, these days..." she went on, "The lionesses babysitting our pups, and now us sharing our food with them... I wonder if Scar really knew it would all work out so well. Frankly I just thought he was obsessed with that throne but he seems to have had the right idea..."

Asani looked a bit surprised, she had expected Shenzi to tell her off, like usual. "So, can I bring some of this to the Pride?"

"You wanna do it? Suit yourself," Shenzi replied, becoming more absorbed in her bone.

The younger hyena picked up the remains of an impala by one of the legs, and dragged it towards Pride Rock, feeling accomplished.

Shenzi watched her leave, and secretly hoped the lionesses would still get mad at Asani, and would teach her a lesson. She chuckled to herself imagining the young hyena returning looking scared and with her tail between her legs.

Asani found the lionesses lounging close to Pride Rock. She took a deep breath and approached them confidently.

The lionesses heard someone approaching and perked their ears slightly when they noticed the hyena with a carcass by her feet.

"Hey... Is Scar around?" she asked, trying not to look too intimidated. The truth was that being so close to so many lionesses at once still made the hair on her back bristle a bit.

The lionesses, on the other hand, appeared to be at ease, as they didn't find the small hyena all that threatening.

"He's gone for a couple of days, but should be back soon," Karanga replied.

"And the Queen?"

"She had a headache so she went to Rafiki for a remedy. Can we help you?" Karanga asked her.

Asani looked a bit disappointed, as she would have like to deal with the top ranking lions directly. She looked around and addressed them all in general instead.

"I'm Asani, one of the high-ranking females of the clan," she stated proudly, "and, well... It seems that some of us have been too excited about all the huntin' possibilities this land has to offer... The thing is... we might be huntin' a bit more than we can eat."

The lionesses sat upstraight and looked at Asani intently, which made her rather nervous.

The hyena cleared her throat and went on. "I know that this has happened in the past and I know what the consequences were. We don't want it happenin' again."

Asani pushed the impala remains with her nose, towards the lionesses.

The Pride understood her gesture without needing any further explanation.

"Thank you, Asani... Could you and your leader make sure that this doesn't keep on happening, though?" Sarabi asked her.

Asani nodded. "We'll try... In the meantime, I got the 'ok' from Shenzi to try and keep the balance, so if there's too much food I'll bring some here for ya all."

Huria smirked slightly. "Well, Scar's not here, so I say we dig in for now..." she said as she inspected the impala.

The lionesses thanked Asani, who then retreated back to her den, knowing that lions could get suddenly aggressive while eating. She didn't want to be around to find out if that was true or not.

Mahali, while thankful for the effortless meal, took only a few nibbles, but walked away from the meal not long after.

Sarafina noticed and nuzzled her gently. "Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm just worried about mom, she said she wanted some time alone but that was two days ago already. You think she's okay?"

"Two days, you said?" Sarafina replied, "That's... kind of a coincidence... You don't suppose she's with Scar? He's gone for two days too..."

Mahali's eyes opened wide for a moment. "I... I have no idea..."

Sarafina turned to Karanga, who was helping old Kuuliza to tear off some meat.

"Wait here," Sarafina told Mahali, and walked to Karanga. She whispered discretely on Karanga's ear. "Mahali's a bit worried about Anasa... Would you happen to know if she is with Scar?"

Karanga turned to look at her and gave her a smile. "Yes, she is. Tell Mahali not to worry, they should be back soon."

Sarafina nodded, and wondered whether Scar ever told Karanga about the two of them.

"Heh... Wow... Scar's first cubs, huh?" she asked Karanga, and looked intently at her reaction.

Karanga simply nodded, still smiling warmly. She gave no signs of knowing about Nala's possible origins. "Anasa has always been very motherly, and didn't hesitate going to Scar once she was ready. She was the only one who didn't hesitate going to Thembi either... I'm really happy for the both of them. And if all works out well, little Nala won't be lonely anymore."

Sarafina gave her a little smile and padded back to Mahali. "Yup, she's with Scar all right."

Mahali chuckled a bit, not sure whether she felt happy or grossed out. "I guess I can stop worrying now, she's in good hands, heh," she said, blushing slightly, and making Sarafina blush too.

"Shush, you," Sarafina told her, swatting at her playfully with a paw. "Come, eat a little bit more, it'll take your mind off things."

Mahali certainly wanted to take her mind off what Anasa might be doing at the moment, and proceeded to eat with a bit more enthusiasm than before.

Sita looked up for a moment and frowned as she saw Ndani approaching in the distance. "Hmm... Ndani's back from visiting Rafiki, but she's got company..."

Huria looked up too and growled slightly. "Damn, not those three again..."

Sita looked more intently. "One of them's wounded..."

All lionesses looked up when they heard this and stared ahead.

"You're right, the one in the middle is limping badly..."

Huria grunted. "I suppose she'll be staying until she recovers, right? In the meantime we can go and hunt for her!"

Sarabi looked at Huria. "Come on, don't be so sarcastic, besides, she does look like she could use some help."

"I wasn't being sarcastic, I am just telling you what our new Queen will be demanding from us any minute now."

The lionesses hushed as Ndani and the Outlanders approached slowly. They frowned when they heard the wounded lioness crying in pain.

"Please... no more, I beg you, I can't stand it..." Njano cried out, her face tear-stained and frozen in a grimace of pain.

"We're almost there, hang on!" Ndani told her.

Sarabi approached them, looking genuinely concerned. "What happened?"

"A croc bit her, right here..." Ndani said, pointing with her paw to Njano's right front leg.

Sarabi inspected the wound. Njano's skin had been torn open and it appeared as if it was a miracle that her leg was still attached to her body at all. She could see that Rafiki had tended to the wound already, but it still looked very serious.

"Why didn't you leave me back there, why do we have to come all the way here!" Njano growled.

"We told you already, you're bleeding like hell and it will attract predators. You're in no condition to defend yourself. At least here you'll be safe!" Ndani said.

Zira looked very concerned for her friend. "Thanks for offering us shelter here, Ndani. I'm sure out there we'd be spending all our time chasing the jackals away..."

"Please don't make me go up there, please..." Njano pleaded as she looked at the rocks leading up to the cave and to the southern ledge. "Can we settle down here?"

Ndani nodded. "Here's fine. No one will dare come this close to our lair, especially not with all the hyenas around."

Njano flopped on the ground and let a roar of pain escape her. "Kill me now, please..." she muttered.

"I think we can feed her the plant now, like Rafiki said..." Kahawia suggested.

Zira nodded and bent over, while Kahawia took off a small pouch Zira had been carrying around her neck. The lioness sliced the pouch open with her claws and extracted a root that Karanga recognized instantly.

"Oh, I've seen that before..." she said, "Rafiki gave one to Scar when he got that wound on his eye. It made him fall asleep almost immediately and he didn't wake up for quite a while."

"Sleep sounds good..." the agonizing lioness muttered, and ate the root hoping to pass out as soon as possible.

It didn't take long for Njano to slip into a very drowsy state, and after a short while, the lioness was fast asleep.

Zira and Kahawia lay down next to her to keep her warm, and took turns to keep the wound clean and tidy.

Ndani made sure that the three of them were comfortable, and walked away, heading towards her own Pride. "Is Scar back already?"

The lionesses shook their heads in reply.

Ndani looked at them nervously. "Look, I know this is not how things go and all... But these guys are my friends and I can't send them away, not in this condition. Do you think you guys can just accept their presence here until Njano's good to go?"

Huria snorted, and muttered an 'I told you so' that Ndani could clearly hear. "Don't expect me to go hunting for them. The other two are healthy enough and they should look for their own food," Huria added.

Ndani looked at her. "Funny thing, I somehow already expected this sorta attitude from you."

Sarabi walked to her younger sister. "Huria has a point, Ndani. That wound won't be healing any time soon, and since your friends are going to be here for a while, it is only fair that they join the hunt and help to bring food in."

Sita appeared to be hesitant. "But our hunting party has enough members already... And don't forget that Tahlili, Shada and Mahali will be able to join in soon..."

Ndani let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "Then we'll have two hunting parties, what's the big deal?"

The lionesses pondered about this and looked at each other, hesitating.

Ndani went on. "Sarabi, you can lead the Pride Landers, and I'll go with Zira and Kahawia. We'll take care of Njano so as not to _burden_ anyone here."

Huria smirked. "That's an excellent idea, actually..." She felt she could agree to anything so as not to have clumsy Ndani in her hunting party again.

Ndani looked at the rest of the Pride. "So you all agree? Then I'll tell Scar."

"Tell me what?" came the voice of Scar, who was just approaching the lionesses, looking surprised to see that the Outlanders were back.

"Come, I'll explain it all to you," Ndani told him, and they walked away together.

The Pride Landers continued eating for a moment, and not long after, they were joined by Anasa, who was smiling at them.

"Hi, everyone... I see we got visitors again."

The lionesses nodded and made room for her, filling her in quickly on Njano's condition.

"You must be starving, come, eat something," Karanga told her.

Anasa sat down and ate enthusiastically, after not having eaten for a couple of days. She tried to ignore the curious looks the lionesses were casting at her, but at some point, she looked up and told them, "Okay, I think I know what's on your minds. What do you want to know?"

The lionesses chuckled but didn't ask her anything, knowing it was none of their business.

Mahali hesitated for a moment, but then finally turned to her mother. "So... will I be getting a brother or sister soon?"

Anasa beamed at her. "I hope so... Only time will tell for sure."

The lionesses who had already finished eating walked away to groom themselves, leaving Anasa by the meal, alone with her daughter.

"Was he... kind?" Mahali ventured to ask.

Anasa looked at her and gave her a gentle nuzzle. "Yes, he was. Don't worry about me, dear."

Mahali watched her eat, her head full of questions, but it felt awkward to ask Anasa, of all lionesses.

"Will I be okay... when my time comes, I mean?" Mahali said softly.

Anasa swallowed the piece of meat she was chewing on, and looked at her daughter, who was pretty much an adult lioness now. She could understand why Mahali was scared, but she gave her a warm, reassuring smile. "I suppose it will be strange at first, of course. But... I think he's had some experience before, and he surely knows what he's doing. I am not shy to say that I had a really good time, and I can only hope that you will feel the same way when your time comes."

Mahali nodded and smiled slightly, and let her mother finish her meal in peace.

Not far away, Ndani was explaining to Scar how she had gone to Rafiki for a headache cure, and how she had come across her friends along the way.

Scar listened, looking pleased at the way Ndani had handled things.

"I think having two hunting parties is a good idea. Otherwise too many fights and rivalries would arise, and the lionesses would be spending more time fighting and growling than looking for food," he said.

Ndani nodded. "It's a win-win situation, I think. And I get to avoid Huria! I swear, one of these days I won't be able to hold back and I'm gonna slap the hell outta her."

Scar had to chuckle, knowing Ndani would never stand a chance against Huria, but he didn't say anything.

"Anyway, you must be hungry, shall I go see if I can find something to eat?"

Scar shook his head. "I'll see if there's some of that impala left first..."

The lion walked back to Pride Rock, glancing at the Outlanders. Zira and Njano appeared to be asleep, while Kahawia cleaned Njano's wound carefully. He decided to let them rest, and would go greet them in the morning.

Anasa had finished eating in the meantime, so Scar sat down by the remains of the meal, which still had enough meat to placate his hunger. As he ate, he couldn't help but notice that the scent of hyena was all over the parts that had not been eaten yet. He frowned and turned to the lionesses.

"Why do I detect the scent of hyena in this meal?" he asked them.

Ndani frowned and bent over to sniff the meal too, realizing Scar was right.

"That young hyena, Asani, she brought this here for us," Sarabi replied.

Scar tilted his head, looking confused.

"They hunted more than they could chew, and she wanted to make it clear that this is not a repeat from what happened last time, before the ban. So she brought the surplus here to us, and said the hyenas are willing to share, if they happened to hunt more than they should. We asked her to keep it to a minimum of course, but it could be that you'll see her around here with food again."

Scad nodded and smiled to himself. "I see."

He didn't interrogate them any further, and proceeded to eat along with Ndani, who felt better now that her headache was gone.

The lioness was also glad that her friends would be staying around for a while, but was not willing to admit to herself that she also was rather glad that Scar was back.

Ndani even startled herself, when she realized that she was actually looking forward to sleeping next to him and share his warmth. Ndani shook her head for a moment and concentrated on her meal again, reminding herself that they were just friends and that Scar had clearly stated he had no romantic feelings for her.


	10. Fighting Lessons

_Chapter 10_

**Fighting Lessons**

The day of the young lionesses' First Hunt had finally arrived. The pride rose quite early, and the adult lionesses left the cave, leaving the young ones inside so that they could mentally prepare and concentrate on the hunt ahead.

Scar had asked the hyenas to stay clear of the area where the lionesses would be hunting, so everything was settled for the big day.

Ndani went to check on Njano, who was still in a lot of pain, and not doing so well. Rafiki had given her more remedies to combat an infection, but the lioness was still pretty much bed-ridden and unable to move.

"Hey, you," Ndani said as she nuzzled her gently.

Njano only grunted in reply.

Kahawia yawned and stretched herself. "I see the pride's up and ready for the young ones' hunt."

Ndani nodded. "They're all rather good at it, I am sure they won't have any problems. And there's lots of prey available..."

"Oh, look, there they are..." Kahawia said, glancing towards the cave as Tahlili, Mahali and Shada made their way out, looking excited and nervous.

Ndani returned to her Pride, who were all cheering at the young lionesses, and wishing them good luck.

Anasa and Karanga nuzzled their respective daughters and whispered words of encouragement.

The lionesses finally approached Scar, who wished them good luck too. "I've heard great things about you three, so I am sure you will do a great job today."

Karanga had advised Scar that it was customary for the King to give each new huntress a quick nuzzle as a blessing, and so he did. He started with Shada, who whispered at him, "Thanks, we won't let you down."

He went on to nuzzle Tahlili, who also whispered, "We'll do our best!"

Mahali awaited her turn patiently, glancing at her mother every now and then, with an excited look on her face. The lioness turned to face Scar once he approached her. He rubbed his cheek against hers, just like he had done with the other two lionesses, and Mahali, who had been ready to reply something reassuring, fell silent instead.

As she grew up she had been taught to avoid and to fear Scar. And here he was now, giving her the hunting blessing. She had never expected that his nuzzle would provoke any feelings in her, but a shudder went through all her body like an electric current. The lioness couldn't think of anything smart to say; her body took over, and simply nuzzled him in return.

Scar was taken aback by her sudden display of affection, and so was Mahali herself, once she realized what she was doing. The lioness cleared her throat and uttered a quick "We will make it!" as she felt the blood rush through her head. She felt confused, and couldn't believe she had done that, in front of the whole pride, no less.

The lionesses didn't say anything, they simply smiled at her.

"Well, this is it!" Shada said, "Good luck, everyone!"

The young lionesses let out a loud roar, which was echoed by the rest of the Pride, and each one of them went their separate ways.

Now it was only a matter of time. It was not important who returned first, it was more important to have a successful hunt. So the older lionesses knew it could take a while before the huntresses returned. The pride scattered, while some lionesses went for a drink, and others decided to take Nala for a walk.

Anasa and Karanga remained in Pride Rock, while Zazu patrolled the area from above, in case one of the young huntresses got into trouble.

Scar and Ndani went to join the Outlanders, who had now dragged Njano's body out of the sun and under the shelter of a tree's shade.

Zira smirked as the King and Queen lay down next to her. "My bet is on the lioness in the middle; she'll be the one to return first."

"How would you know?" Ndani asked.

"I spotted her the other day, she was practicing on her own. She's got all the basics nailed down."

Ndani shook her head. "I still think Mahali will be the first one. She's older, and can keep her cool better."

Zira chuckled. "Yes, but I think her head might be somewhere else right now..."

Ndani giggled, as they both quickly glanced towards Scar, who was staring at his paws pretending not to be listening.

The lion shifted his weight, clearly not comfortable in participating in their lioness-talk.

Zira, afraid that they might chase him away, changed topic swiftly. "By the way, Scar, I asked the baboon about his shell last time we went there for Njano's remedy."

Scar looked up and perked his ears. "And? Did he look into your future?"

Zira shook her head. "Not yet. I first asked him to look into my past, to test him 'n see if he wasn't full of crap."

Scar frowned, but recovered his composure quickly. "And, how accurate was he?"

Zira gazed into the horizon for a moment, as if lost in her own thoughts, and muttered, "Very."

Ndani looked at her curiously, as Zira had never really shared many details of her past with her, but it looked as if the lioness was not going to start sharing any time soon.

"Will you visit him again to learn about your future?" Kahawia asked.

Zira grinned to herself. "Not any time soon, no. He was kinda mad that I didn't believe in his talents and that I put him to the test."

"Heh, don't worry, good ol' Rafiki never stays mad long enough," Ndani replied.

Scar appeared to be very thoughtful all of a sudden, something Zira picked up on, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, the lioness turned to Ndani. "So, shall we make our bet official? I have a nice deal. If you win, I will go hunting with Kahawia tonight and you can stay. But if I win, you guys will go hunting together and I get to stay and be lazy."

"Hey, s'not fair. Either way, _I'm_ screwed," Kahawia said with a grin, "I guess my bet will be on the youngest one in that case. You two can go hunting together, if she makes it back first."

"Okay, it's on!" Ndani exclaimed.

Scar couldn't help but chuckle, as he had never heard of the lionesses placing bets on the new huntresses, but the idea amused him all together. The lion rested his chin on his paws and drifted away in a light sleep, feeling slightly worried about what Zira had just said. The lion knew Rafiki had no reason to be prying into his own past, but knowing that the baboon could actually tell the past as well as the future was not a reassuring thought.

* * *

><p>Further away from Pride Rock, each one of the three hunting lionesses had taken a different direction, to prevent spoiling each other's hunt.<p>

Mahali had shaken away all other thoughts in her mind, and was very focused and determined. However, she was surprised to see that the herds she had spotted only yesterday were no longer there. They must have fled from something, she thought.

The lioness kept on walking, trying to follow their trail, but it was clear that the animals had scattered in different directions. She sniffed the air intently and caught the scent of an animal nearby. She hurried in the direction of the smell, only to find a gazelle that had already been brought down by another predator. The animal lay there, half eaten.

Mahali frowned as she could detect the scent of hyenas around the gazelle. She looked around but didn't spot any hyenas nearby, so she kept on walking, hoping to catch a new trail soon. Along the way she noticed a few more skeletons scattered here and there. She had never seen so many during her lessons, and made a mental note to tell the lionesses once she was back.

She felt like she had been walking for a long time, when she finally came across a herd of Thomson gazelles. The lioness crouched immediately, and swiftly spotted a weakling in the herd. One of the gazelles was limping, and Mahali knew it would be an easy catch. Luck was on her side today.

It was all over rather quickly for the injured gazelle. Mahali's deadly grasp on its neck put the poor animal out of its misery. Now she had the laborious task of carrying the prey back home, but it didn't matter. She had done it at last, and completed the final step to leave cubhood behind and be accepted as an adult.

As she made her way back to Pride Rock, Mahali had the strange feeling that she was being watched, but could not spot anyone nearby. She sped up her pace, which was a bit more difficult now that she had to drag the gazelle along, but froze on her tracks when she heard a noise nearby. She was definitely not alone, and finding out whether it was a friend or a foe was only a matter of time.

"I know you're out there, I can hear you!" she called out loud.

For a moment nothing happened, so Mahali bent over to pick up the gazelle by the neck. When she looked up, in front of her stood an adult leopard, as if he had appeared out of thin air. He was staring hungrily at her catch.

Mahali dropped the gazelle to the ground looking startled; she had never expected whomever was nearby to actually be so close. The leopard must have been really good at stalking. She looked at him but could not recognize him; the leopard had an old scar crossing his nose that she would have certainly remembered if they had met earlier.

Mahali bared her teeth, showing him clearly that she was not willing to part from her catch without putting up a fight first.

But the leopard knew that such a young lioness would be no problem for him. He took a step closer, making Mahali growl deeply, but he was not impressed.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way, sweetcheeks," he said, taking yet another step towards the lioness' hunt.

"Get out of my way!" Mahali said as she lashed at him with her paw, claws extended, but he dodged her blow. He tried to snatch the gazelle from underneath her, but Mahali lashed out again.

"It's my First Hunt! You can't take it away from me!" she snarled.

The leopard's expression suddenly changed, he perked up his ears and looked less menacing all of a sudden. "Your First hunt? Oh! Why didn't you say so in the first place? Congratulations on your first catch!"

Mahali blinked a couple of times and lowered her guard slowly. "Um... Thanks..."

"So I guess you have learned all it takes to be a skilled huntress now, hmm?" he asked her, as he sat on his haunches.

Mahali nodded. "I think so... I hope so, at least."

The leopard gave her a wide grin, looking rather friendly. "There's one very important thing you should keep in mind though."

Mahali tilted her head as she listened to him.

The leopard suddenly jumped at her, head-butting her hard on the side. The lioness lost her balance, stumbled a few steps and fell to the ground, looking confused.

"Lesson one: Never, ever lower your guard!" With that, the leopard let out a loud laugh, took the gazelle in his mouth and ran away, climbing up a high tree, well beyond Mahali's reach.

The lioness gave chase once she recovered, but the branch where the leopard had taken refuge was too high for her to reach, and she knew she was a lousy climber. She tried several times, but got nowhere close to the leopard, who was now humming to himself as he began to eat the meal he stole from Mahali.

"Mmmm!" he said out loud for her to hear down below, "You have good taste, it's delicious!"

Mahali growled at him and called him several names she certainly didn't learn from Anasa, but the leopard simply laughed an continued devouring the gazelle.

Mahali turned around and left, feeling extremely angry with herself for having fallen for his trick.

"It was an important lesson to be learned, all right, but why today of all days?" she told herself, as tears of anger built up in her eyes.

She felt exhausted, and she knew there was no other prey in sight, she'd have to walk on further, or try to settle down for something small, like a rodent, which felt like an insult to her pride after having brought down a full grown gazelle. Mahali decided to continue looking, her paws aching for some rest, but she kept on going.

Mahali's luck had run out, and the only thing she came across was an old gopher. She let out a loud sigh, and decided to ignore the gopher, but she then realized that despite her making a lot of noise, the animal apparently hadn't noticed her presence.

"Hey..." she said, but got no reaction.

Mahali bit her lip as she hesitated. The temptation to just hunt this critter and go home was too much, as she was longing for some sleep and her paws were killing her. She gave in, and swiftly killed the deaf gopher, who squealed in surprise and struggled for a moment, until his last breath left him.

Mahali hurried up towards Pride Rock, carrying the gopher in her muzzle. This time she'd keep on going no matter what, and wouldn't stop for anyone.

It was late at night when Mahali finally made it back; Tahlili and Shada had gotten there first. Mahali let out a deep sigh and walked towards the Pride, who welcomed her warmly.

"Welcome back!" Anasa said as she nuzzled her daughter lovingly and the pride gathered around her. "Show us, what did you get?"

Mahali threw the gopher on to the ground, looking visibly disappointed. "Just this stupid, small thing..."

Karanga frowned. "Hey, remember, size doesn't matter, sweetie. What matters is that you got it on your own."

"Go on, present your first catch to the King," Anasa urged her.

Mahali took a deep breath, picked up the gopher again, and walked towards Scar, who was sitting next to what she could only assume were Tahlili's and Shada's prey.

She dropped the gopher next to the dead bodies of a young zebra, and a jackal.

Scar smiled for a moment as he sniffed the gopher, and congratulated Mahali.

The lioness only nodded in return and didn't say a thing, which everyone thought was rather strange.

"Hey," Anasa nudged her, "Is something wrong? Why are you so unhappy with your catch? Gophers are hard to catch, you know!"

"He was deaf, okay?" she blurted out, "I practically walked right into him and he didn't hear a thing until I snapped his neck!"

"That doesn't make your hunt any less worthy, my dear," Anasa told her, while the rest of the lionesses nodded in agreement, "You know part of your training was to spot your prey's weaknesses."

Mahali sat on her haunches and sighed. "I just... I... I feel so stupid. I did something so dumb..."

The pride listened to her intently, including Scar, who had now approached the lionesses to find out what the commotion was about.

"I actually had managed to bring down a full, grown, adult gazelle. Granted, she had a broken leg, but still..."

"Wow... a gazelle?" Shada asked in amazement.

Mahali nodded and went on, telling them everything about her encounter with the leopard and how he had stolen her catch, while the lionesses frowned and growled, sharing Mahali's anger.

"I know, I know. I shouldn't have lowered my guard," Mahali said as she finished retelling the course of events, "I learned my lesson, and here's the outcome: a dumb, old, deaf gopher instead."

Sarabi walked to Mahali and nuzzled her. "Look at it this way, you actually brought down _two_ animals in your first hunt! Okay, so one didn't make it all the way to Pride Rock, but that doesn't matter. You had the most difficult part done. And now you know you need to focus on your stealth..."

Scar cleared his throat and said, "I don't know about you all, but I could use a meal." He then walked to the small animals that were proudly displayed in front of him, and he started eating, from the gopher no less.

Mahali looked at him eating and was unable to conceal a smile. She had not achieved the triumphant First Hunt she had dreamed of, but the Pride and the King himself were pleased, so she stopped being so hard on herself for a while.

Scar had a taste of all three animals, and then stepped away to make way for the young lionesses, who were allowed to eat their special meal on their own.

Now that the three young lionesses were back, the rest of the pride could finally go hunting without intervening in the First Hunt. The lionesses began stretching their legs and warming up before the chase.

Ndani and Kahawia, having lost their bet, were also getting ready to find something to eat.

Zira watched them with a smirk, as she had won the right to stay behind, by predicting that Tahlili would return first.

"Make sure to get something tasty. Njano and I will be looking forward to it..."

Ndani stuck out her tongue at her and headed off with Kahawia in search for food.

The Pride-Landers went on the opposite direction, after Mahali had warned them that the herds had moved far away, and that they might need to cover a longer distance than usual.

The lionesses thanked her for her warning and disappeared in the distance after a while.

Scar watched them leave, and lingered nonchalantly around the three new huntresses, as he had the feeling that Mahali might come to him for assistance soon. But Mahali appeared to still be rather disappointed by her ruined hunting attempt, and was seemingly not in the mood for socializing.

Scar pondered for a moment and then called the young lioness. "Mahali, could I have a word with you for a moment?"

Mahali looked up. "Um, yes, sure..." she said, feeling rather shy all of a sudden.

Scar watched her as she padded up to him, she looked a bit nervous.

"That leopard you met... Do you know his name?"

Mahali shook her head. "He didn't say... I never saw him earlier before."

"Is there anything you would recognize from him, if you were to meet him again?"

Mahali frowned for a moment. "Well, he had an old scar across his nose, and a bit of a high-pitched voice... So, yes, I guess I could identify him if I saw him again... Why do you ask?"

"I don't want anyone messing around with my Pride. I will send the hyenas after him, to teach him a lesson, but I want to make sure that we get the right leopard."

"Oh..." Mahali said, "But... That won't be necessary, it was my own damn fault after all..."

Scar looked away for a moment. "Are you sure? We can make it so that he'll never steal from a lioness again, you know."

Mahali didn't quite like his threatening tone of voice, and shook her head. "Like I said, it was my fault. These things happen all the time, Scar. I'm just a bit sad my First Hunt didn't work out how I imagined it, but I will get over it soon."

Scar shrugged. "Fine, as you wish."

They both fell quiet for a moment. Scar wondered if she'd take the initiative, but the lioness said nothing more. He got the message, and decided to leave her alone.

"Well, I'll go check on the Outlanders..." he said as he stood up, "I assume you three are in cub-duty again for now?"

Mahali nodded. "Yes, but we're all very tired, so we're kind of hoping we can persuade little Nala to take a nap along with us..."

Scar chuckled. "Well, good luck with that. I won't be far, if you four need anything."

"Thanks," Mahali said, and watched him walk away, towards where the Outlanders were settled. She walked back to her Pride-mates, knowing very well why Scar had shown some interest in her, but she really felt exhausted and longed to go to sleep.

"Tomorrow will be another day..." she told herself, and watched in relief how the other lionesses had already settled down with Nala, ready to take a nap. She joined them and fell asleep not long after.

Scar in the meantime had reached Njano and Zira. The wounded lioness was asleep, while Zira kept guard, looking a bit bored.

"Hello," he said, "where's the rest?"

"I won the bet, remember?" Zira replied with a grin, "Ndani and Kahawia left more or less at the same time the rest of your Pride did."

"Ah, yes," Scar replied and sat next to them, glancing at Njano's wounded leg. "It's looking better, isn't it?"

"That's what the baboon said, but it still looks quite nasty to me."

Zira fell silent for a moment, and smiled to herself, realizing that with the Pride-Landers and their Queen gone, she practically had Scar all to herself.

"Could you maybe get some of your hyenas to keep guard here? Then I can go and take a walk."

Scar shrugged, feeling that she didn't want his company tonight either. "Sure, I'll tell them."

Zira waited for a moment and looked over her shoulder. "You're not gonna let me go all alone, while it's so dark out there, would you?"

Scar perked up his ears. "You know, the whole 'damsel in distress' thing doesn't really fit you."

Zira smirked. "Go on, tell your hyenas if they can help me out for guard duty, and I'll meet you by the acacias."

With that she left, disappearing in the darkness.

Scar found nearby a couple of hyena mothers that were relaxing along with their pups, and he asked them to keep an eye on Njano. The hyenas knew the lioness could hardly move, so they accepted to stay nearby to watch over her, and would let out a distress call if needed.

Scar met Zira by the acacias, as agreed, and they both left, Zira taking the lead.

"Do you know where we're going or are you just walking randomly?" he asked.

"Just walking," she said, "I just wanted to stretch my legs a bit."

Scar looked at her as she walked a few paces ahead, but soon closed the gap to walk side by side. "I know you and your mates like to travel a lot. But have you ever thought about settling down somewhere?"

Zira, who up until this point had kept up a brisk walk, lowered her pace slightly. "There's never been a place we like enough to actually feel like staying."

"Surely you must have seen a lot of different places. Was there really nothing that tickled your fancy?"

Zira looked thoughtful for a moment. "No. To be honest, this place here is the best we've seen. Too bad it's already taken by a Pride of lions, hmm?"

Scar smirked slightly. "Well, it's not as if I am chasing you away or anything."

"Hmmph. That's not news, the male lion rarely does. It's his posse we have to watch out for."

Scar nodded, recalling how angry the lionesses had been when Ndani brought the Outlanders in, especially Huria. If all of them had been as temperamental as Huria, there would have been a nasty fight for sure.

Zira reached a clearing and headed straight to a big rock, where she proceeded to sharpen her claws absent-mindedly.

Scar sat down nearby and watched her intently. Zira was certainly not the prettiest lioness he had ever seen, but she intrigued him immensely.

The lioness came to join him not long after and sat across him. "There's something I don't get. You have this great place to live in; what in the world possessed you to leave and end up in the elephant graveyard instead?"

Scar raised an eyebrow. "You mean Ndani never actually told you?"

"Well, she mentioned you and your father didn't get along, but she never really went into details."

Scar looked away. "Yes, that's a very abridged version of events, all right. But I don't feel like telling you about myself, without getting a story from you in return."

Zira grinned. "Okay, let's do this. I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

Scar nodded and walked away to sharpen his own claws on the same rock Zira had used. "To make it short, my father thought I was responsible for my mother's death, which happened right after I was born. He lost his mind that day, and there was no convincing him that I had nothing to do with it. He'd have killed me for sure, if it hadn't been for Karanga, who took me and my brother in."

Zira listened intently as she admired his handsome features.

"You can now imagine how growing up here was hell for me," he went on, "always under his constant threats. He made sure the other cubs stayed away from me too, and that's how I came in contact with the hyenas and befriended them. I would have jumped off a cliff if it hadn't been for them."

Zira whispered, "Wow, you sound just like Ndani."

Scar frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Ndani always said she'd have jumped off a cliff if it hadn't been for us. It could have been true, since I actually had to drag her away from the gorge's edge once."

Scar looked away for a moment. He knew Ndani was prone to moping, but he never knew that she had felt so bad at some point, that jumping off the gorge seemed like the only solution to her problems.

"I never knew about that. Ndani and I didn't get along at all back then, but she was indeed a bit of a loner."

Zira lay down on the grass. She didn't feel like discussing Ndani, so she enticed Scar to keep talking about himself instead. "So you befriended the hyenas, then what happened?"

Scar lay down next to her. "Well, I tried to keep it a secret of course, but eventually father found out and hell broke lose. I had to either run away or face a certain death. I know I had wished for it several times, but not at his paws. So I ran, and took shelter with the hyenas. When father died and Mufasa took over, he invited me to come back, and the rest, you probably know how it goes."

"Yes, Ndani told us about the stampede and all that..."

Scar didn't say anything else for a few minutes, but then turned to face her. "Your turn."

Zira chuckled. "Well, I come from a land far, far away..."

"Don't tell me you're resorting to making things up," Scar told her.

Zira grinned and looked into his eyes for a moment. "I was born into the Magadi pride, who lived in the crater. Ever heard of it?"

Scar tried to recall if he ever heard Thembi or anyone else in the Pride talk about that place, but he shook his head.

"Well, like I said, it's far away. It was a good place to live in, but one day our old leader was threatened by a younger, stronger rogue. It all happened so quickly that I can't remember much of it. All I know is that the battle was over in a matter of minutes, and my own mother told me and Kahawia to run, find shelter and hide."

Scar looked at her, trying to picture Zira as a young cub, feeling afraid and running for cover.

"We did as we were told, and waited there until my mother came to get us. When she finally did, we tried sneaking away, but the new leader found out and got extremely angry. He wanted to get to Kahawia and me first, but mother stopped him and told us to run for it. Kahawia and I ran like hell, coming across the limp bodies of all the other dead cubs he had killed earlier. We immediately knew what was in stock for us if we didn't keep on running."

Scar nodded and looked away, as he could now understand why his sparing of Nala's life had had such an impact on Zira. "What happened to your mother?" he asked.

"I'll never know for sure but we think he did away with her too. I heard from a buzzard that besides the dead cubs, they had also found a dead lioness near our lair," she replied, looking very stern all of a sudden.

"How did you two manage to survive out there, being so young?" Scar said, realizing they didn't pick up their hunting and fighting abilities from their own Pride.

Zira shrugged. "We were very lucky, I guess. We scrounged a lot, and were not picky at all, anything was good. Kahawia and I fought each other constantly to learn how to defend ourselves. We made friends with a leopardess who taught us a few things too, and every now and then we still get together for a hunt. But yeah, the first few years were the toughest. Our ribs were always sticking out and we were constantly hungry. But it all got better once we became good at hunting. We couldn't get huge meals, just the two of us, but it was enough to keep us going."

"When did Njano come into the picture?"

"Oh, we didn't meet her until much later; we were already adults. She'd been banished by her pride, but she's never told us why. We've asked her a hundred times, but she's kept her secret well, that one."

Scar remained silent for a moment, but eventually ventured to say, "Ndani once said that you didn't like male lions very much. I can see how they didn't make a good impression on you."

Zira snorted. "And it wasn't only that one, you know? Every other lion we encountered out there was a total prick."

"And I suppose you had the same high opinion of me?" he asked, as he shifted his weight slightly, getting more comfortable.

Zira chuckled deeply. "More or less. I hadn't heard much about you, until you came back from the graveyard and Ndani mentioned that you two had started getting along. But yeah, I wasn't very interested, until she started comin' to us with cock and bull stories about you lettin' the hyenas into your land, sparing a cub, making Ndani -of _all _lionesses- your Queen... You seem to have a different method of ruling, and I have to admit, I kinda liked the sound of it."

"Well I am glad at least someone likes my method. Other than Ndani, I still feel the lionesses are not too happy with my way of handling things, especially with the whole hyena business."

"I think they're getting used to it. I see them interacting a bit more, and one of the hyenas even brings food to them every now and then..."

Scar looked at her intently, and she didn't look away.

"What happened to your ear anyway?" he asked, after a brief moment of silence.

"Ah, this?" she said, pointing to her torn ear with her paw, "This was a token of appreciation from a young male that was bothering Kahawia. I jumped in to defend her and we got into a fight. But trust me, he went away looking worse than my ear."

Scar smirked briefly, wishing he could see her in action some time.

She looked at him and added, "Your turn. What's with your eye?"

"Wildebeest kick, when I was a cub," he said, not going into any details.

"Hmm," she replied, "those buggers can kick hard all right. I got kicked once too, and had a sore shoulder for quite a while."

The lioness started licking her paws absentmindedly, feeling completely relaxed, something she had never accomplished with another lion before. The fact that Scar had not been all over her like most males she had encountered made him even more interesting, and she liked the way he carried himself.

Zira looked up after a moment and saw him, still staring silently at her.

"You seem very quiet all of a sudden," she said, "everything okay?"

Scar smiled slightly. "More than okay, actually. I was just thinking about the day Ndani first told me about you. She said you'd give me a matching scar on my right eye for sure."

Zira smirked, looking proud. "Well, I do have a reputation to keep. So..." She pulled out her claws several times, and with unexpected speed stood up, and poised herself for combat.

Scar looked at her, slightly amused. "Oh, like I have a chance against you?"

"You can at least give it a try!"

Scar stood up and faced her, ready to defend himself and shake her off.

However, Zira noticed that his stance was strange; it looked as if he was frozen in mid-crouch. It took her a few seconds to understand, and her face lightened up.

"Well, this is interesting... Your body language tells me you learned your fighting skills from the hyenas..."

"Here's something else I learned from them: Less talking, more fighting!" Scar said, and he tried to pounce on her, but she quickly dodged his attack. The lioness quickly grabbed him by the hip with two paws, and used her own weight to bring Scar down.

Scar simply lay there, with the lioness on top, barely resisting. He enjoyed her little game, and it was a good excuse for some physical contact without him having to request it.

Zira stood up eventually and shook her head. "Sorry if I'm being blunt... How to put this nicely..." she said, as she tapped her cheek with a claw thoughtfully, "Let's just say that your fighting skills don't match those of a mighty King."

Scar sat up straight and shook the dust off his pelt. "I know. Daddy never gave me any lessons, I had to learn on my own."

Zira's face brightened up as she came up with an idea. "It would be a shame if you were to lose your position of power, if some other rogue that actually knows how to fight happens to come along. I could teach you a trick or two to fend rogues off."

"Thanks for the offer, but the hyenas on border duty are already dealing with the rogues themselves. I think they'd be upset if I take that pleasure away from them" he replied, with a slightly evil smirk.

Zira chuckled slightly. "Well, let's say one of them lions happens to sneak past your guards. Then what?"

Scar looked at Zira, looking forward to spending more time with her. "Fine, fine. Show me."

Zira smiled at him. "Okay, the first thing to do-"

The lioness hushed when she heard some loud noises in the distance. "What the hell is that?"

Scar frowned. "It's the hyenas, and their distress call. Sorry to cut your lesson short, but we have to go."

The lion turned around and ran as fast as he could back to Pride Rock.

Zira followed close behind, fearing for Njano's safety.

When they arrived at the place where Njano was resting, they saw that the lioness was still pretty much in the same spot, but she was clearly awake and holding her head up, looking terrified.

The hyena mothers had apparently taken some distance to protect their cubs, but Scar could not see what the threat was.

Scar and Zira, still a bit out of breath, approached Njano, who told them, "She's gone mental! She's threatening everyone and already tried to kill one of the pups! Even the new huntresses fled!"

Scar looked around confused, there was no sign of the young lionesses or Nala. "Who in the world are you talking about? Was it Huria?"

But at that moment, Scar heard an unfamiliar loud growl behind him. He quickly turned around and came face to face with old Kuuliza, who had never growled at him, not even when he had been a troublesome cub.

"Kuuliza? What are you doing?" Scar asked, trying to keep calm.

Kuuliza didn't reply, she only stared at him with mad rage in her eyes, the corners of her mouth moist and dripping with saliva. The lioness had not been up in many days, and Karanga had already been tending to her for months. It seemed that the lioness had gotten renewed energy from somewhere, but she was clearly not doing well at all.

"The elephants..." Kuuliza muttered, looking past Scar, not giving any signs of having recognized him. She looked around, dazed and confused. "They're coming, they want to crush us... We have to fight! We have to-" She interrupted herself as her gaze fell on Njano, who was still pretty much alert but unable to get away.

Kuuliza bared her fangs at Njano and screamed at the top of her lungs, "Over my dead body, you stupid elephant! You will not harm my cubs!"

"There are no elephants nearby!" Scar yelled, but Kuuliza didn't appear to be able to hear him, and she tried to attack the defenseless Njano.

Zira anticipated Kuuliza's moves and got in the way just in time to block her attack. Kuuliza fought fiercely, but she was no match for a healthy and younger lioness like Zira. She hit Kuuliza quite hard on the head with her paw, rendering the old, frail lioness unconscious.

Scar approached the motionless Kuuliza and nuzzled her briefly. "She's boiling... Someone, go get Rafiki! Now!" he commanded.

A couple of hyenas ran off in search of Rafiki, while Scar and Zira moved Njano out of sight in case Kuuliza came to and continued to hallucinate.

Scar had the feeling that the lioness didn't have much longer to live. He knew how much Kuuliza meant to Karanga, and how devastated she'd be if she hadn't been around to say goodbye. He hoped Rafiki could keep the lioness alive, at least until Karanga came back from the hunt.

Zira and Scar sat down by the feverish lioness and waited together in silence.


	11. New Life in the Pride Lands

_Chapter 11_

**New Life in the Pride Lands**

Time seemed to pass very slowly, as Scar waited for either Karanga or Rafiki to show up and tend to Kuuliza. The baboon got there first, and not long after, Shada also returned from her hiding spot.

"I'm sorry we left so hastily," she said apologetically, "we were just afraid she'd hurt Nala... She and Tahlili are still in hiding, and Mahali has gone off to try and find the hunting party."

Scar nodded and turned to Rafiki. "Kuuliza was pretty much out of control," he said, "she thought that some elephants were going to trample her and her cubs, and became very aggressive. Zira even had to step in to defend Njano, whom she mistook for an elephant..."

Rafiki listened, looking worried. He bent over as he studied the unconscious lioness carefully. He noticed a dusty pawprint on her face, on the spot where Zira had hit her, but there were no blood marks. He could tell that Zira hadn't used her claws.

"She's got a very high fever, I am not sure if I can bring it down, but I'll try..." Rafiki said, and took out from his traveling pouch a few herbs that he mixed with a bit of water. He put the mixture under the lioness' tongue and closed her mouth gently, keeping her muzzle shut with his own hands.

"How long does it take for the remedy to work?" Zira asked.

Rafiki shook his head slightly. "With a slight fever, it's pretty quick, but I wouldn't know right now..."

They all contemplated Kuuliza in silence, waiting for a sign that the medicine had worked, but the lioness remained unconscious.

Rafiki rubbed her head gently, and could notice that she didn't feel as hot to the touch anymore.

Scar looked up, as he thought he heard the hunting party approaching. He walked to the promontory and saw the lionesses hurrying home. Karanga and Mahali led the way, while the rest lagged behind, trying to drag their catch along with them as fast as they could.

Karanga finally reached Pride Rock and ran straight to Kuuliza.

"What's wrong with her, Rafiki? Is it serious?"

Rafiki sighed deeply. "She had a very high fever, and was hallucinating. I couldn't spot any wounds or animal bites, so if there is anything wrong, it must be inside her. I can't tell if it's gone out of hand either. I'm just afraid my remedies won't be able to help anymore..."

Karanga tried to catch her breath and looked at her mother with a worried expression. Glancing at the lionesses around them, she tried to reassure them. "I'm sure she'll be fine... Go on and eat, I'll stay here and keep an eye on her."

The lionesses presented their catch to Scar, who began eating, but no one felt much appetite. They kept glancing towards Kuuliza, hoping to see her feeling better.

Rafiki sat down next to Karanga and looked at her. The lioness appeared calm, but he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Has she mentioned being in pain lately?"

"Not more than usual... mostly on her legs. Walking goes better some days than others. Although, she hasn't eaten much lately and she seems a bit distant, prone to stray from the rest of us. I think the presence of the hyenas unnerves her, but she hasn't talked about it."

"She's an old lioness," Rafiki said, " and I've seen some old lions in my time. They all strayed away from the Pride in the end, when they feel their time is getting nearer."

Karanga nodded. "I know, Rafiki, I am surprised myself, and rather grateful, that she's been with us this long. But she's not the shadow of the lioness she once was, and it hurts me to see her like this, broken and defeated. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and came to the conclusion that when she decides to let go, I'll be ready, and won't hold her back."

Rafiki looked at Karanga sadly, recalling the days when she had been just a cub. Ever since then, Karanga had already witnessed the death of some of the lions she cared for the most, and Rafiki knew, with pain in his heart, that she would soon have to face losing yet another loved one. But the lioness had grown stronger and wiser with the years, and she really appeared to have come to terms with the fact that Kuuliza would leave her soon. Karanga simply stood guard over her mother, looking calm and composed.

Eventually the old lioness stirred slightly and opened her eyes, looking dazed. "Where am I?" she muttered, her mouth feeling extremely dry.

"You're here with us at Pride Rock, mom..." Karanga replied, nuzzling her slightly.

Kuuliza turned to look in her general direction but her eyes were unfocused.

Scar realized Kuuliza was awake when he heard Karanga talking to her. The lion approached them, to find out how she was doing.

"Can you see me, mom? Can you hear me?" Karanga asked.

Kuuliza blinked a few times but appeared to be rather confused. "Nobe? Is that you?"

Karanga shook her head and smiled, trying to conceal her sadness. "It's me, Karanga, your youngest daughter. Nobesuthu passed away a long time ago, remember?"

Scar tilted his head as he listened to Karanga; he was not aware that his adoptive mother had lost a sister at some point.

Kuuliza's pained expression softened as she smiled slightly. "Not you, silly. I mean the lioness standing right next to you..."

Karanga swallowed with some difficulty, and glanced at Rafiki, who nodded at her silently.

"It is time," the baboon whispered.

Karanga turned to her mother and smiled back. "Oh, yes, that's her, mom. Nobe has come looking for you. Why don't you go take a walk together? You have a lot to catch up on..."

"Why don't you come with us?" Kuuliza said as her voice became a bit weaker.

"I'd love to, but I have my duties here, mom."

"Ah, yes, at Thembi's side..." Kuuliza replied, obviously not aware anymore of the present.

Karanga simply nodded and nuzzled her mom. "Go with Nobe now, and please say hi to everyone from me when you see them, okay?"

Kuuliza smiled and rested her head on the grass.

Karanga bent over and nuzzled her cheek gently. "Thanks for everything, mom... I love you."

"I love you too, my dear..." Kuuliza replied softly, and not long after, she let out a deep, content sigh, and her chest never rose again.

Scar approached Karanga and sat by her side. The Pride had now gathered around them, while the Outlanders kept a respectful distance.

Karanga sighed deeply, and although her eyes were moist with tears, she smiled as she looked at Scar. "She's at a better place now. She lived a long, happy life, and I am glad I got here on time to say good bye."

The rest of the lionesses came to pay their respects to a once mighty huntress, and whispered farewell.

Scar waited until everyone had said goodbye, and looked at the still body of Kuuliza. "Should we take her to Rafiki's tree?" he asked Karanga.

Karanga shook her head. "She was never a Queen, she doesn't belong there..."

Scar frowned and glanced around, whispering slightly, "You know the hyenas are bound to find her if you leave her here..."

Karanga looked deep into his eyes. "It's the circle of life, Hatari. There is nothing more we can do for her," she said, forgetting about his nickname for a moment, "so I'll just take her to her favorite place, and what happens then, it doesn't matter anymore."

Scar nodded. "Do you need help carrying her?"

Karanga shook her head. Kuuliza had lost most of her weight and was basically skin and bones, so a strong lioness like Karanga was able to carry her body without much effort.

Rafiki gave her a hand in lifting Kuuliza up, and placed her gently on top of Karanga.

"I'll be back soon," Karanga said, and walked away towards what would become Kuuliza's final resting place.

Scar watched her go for a moment, while Rafiki walked to his side. "Is there anything you need from me, or shall I return to my tree?"

Scar eyed Rafiki for a moment and asked him, "Tell me... How long have you been around here, helping the lions from this Pride?"

Rafiki wondered about Scar's sudden interest in his life, and he scratched his head thoughtfully. "Let's see... my troop came to the Pride Lands when my mother was expecting me, and I know back then King Mbwana was still in charge. King Zuberi took his place, and then came Issa, but he didn't last very long... Then there was King Fahamu, then King Kafil, then King Haraka, King Thembi, and I believe you know the rest."

Scar raised an eyebrow. "_That_ long?"

Rafiki nodded, smiling. "And if all goes well, I should be around to see your grandsons, and perhaps more."

Scar pondered for a moment. "What happened to that King... Issa, you said?"

Rafiki sighed. "Let's say his plan to invite the hyenas over didn't work as well as it's working for you now. The hyenas eventually turned against him. The lionesses managed to drive them away but there were many casualties. Issa passed away from his injuries, and young Fahamu took his place as King. He immediately re-instituted the hyena ban, and it stayed that way, until your reign. I must admit that so far, the hyenas seem to be more loyal to you than they were to Issa."

Rafiki paused for a moment, while Scar looked away. "But I assume you didn't want to inquire about previous Kings, did you?"

Scar shook his head. "I was just curious about that lioness that Kuuliza saw in her delirious state... You see, I never knew Karanga had a sister."

"Ah, yes, little Nobesuthu. She was still a young cub when she passed away. She fell into the river while playing, but the current was very strong. We found her body further down, but it was too late. Kuuliza and Karanga were devastated of course. Even nowadays Kuuliza would still go to the spot where they found the cub's body, to talk to her daughter's spirit, and sing her lullabies. I wouldn't be surprised if that's where Karanga is taking Kuuliza's body for her final rest."

Scar stared thoughtfully into the distance, until he heard someone approaching. It was Ndani, who had returned from her own hunting session with Kahawia. "We just got home... The lionesses told me what happened..."

Rafiki took her presence as his cue to leave. He patted Scar gently on the shoulder and walked away, to give the King and Queen some privacy.

"Poor Kuuliza, but I think it was for the better. She looked worse n' worse the past few days..." Ndani said, sitting next to Scar.

"Funny thing," Scar said through clenched teeth, "A lioness who meant so much for the Pride, and who did so much for it, and she doesn't even get a farewell speech. Sometimes I just have troubles grasping some of the leonine traditions."

Ndani shrugged. "It's how it goes, Scar... The whole 'burial n' speech' thing is saved for the Kings and Queens, or the chiefs of the tribes."

Scar said nothing for a moment, he simply stared in the general direction where Karanga had disappeared.

Ndani cleared her throat. "Kahawia and I got some food... Feeling hungry at all?"

Scar shook his head. "No, thanks, I already ate from what Sarabi's hunting party brought down."

Ndani turned to leave, but returned to his side after taking a few steps only. "Um... I'm not sure it's the right time, but..."

Scar turned to look at her, mildly curious.

"Kahawia asked me if it would be okay to for her to come to you. You know... Since they're stuck here at the Pride Lands for a while, she thinks now's the best time to raise a cub, far away from the dangers of the Outlands and all."

Scar raised an eyebrow and glanced at Kahawia, who was talking nonchalantly to Zira in the distance.

"Sure," he said at last, "she can come to me when she's ready."

Ndani nodded and was about to leave, when Scar asked her, "Do you think Zira will also want to take advantage of the opportunity to raise a cub here?"

Ndani bit her lip for a moment. "I am not sure she's into having cubs anymore, given how sick she became the last time."

The lioness looked at Scar, who kept glancing in the Outlander's direction. She whispered, "You like her, don't you?"

"I barely know her," Scar replied.

Ndani walked closer and took a deep breath. "Don't lie to me, Scar, you two spent some time together while I was gone. Her scent is all over you."

"Well, if you must know, she made fun of my clumsy fighting skills and she was simply teaching me how to hunt like a real lion."

Ndani chuckled. "Sounds like Zira all right. If there's anyone who can teach you how to fight, it's her."

Scar eyed Ndani for a moment and told her, "I do enjoy her company, though. I hope you won't mind if I spend time with her."

Ndani looked away. "As long as I'm still your 'number 1'..." she said as she smiled at him.

"That you are," Scar replied, staring at her grin, finding it hard to imagine Ndani standing at the border of a cliff, ready to jump to end it all.

"That's all I wanted to hear," Ndani whispered as she walked past him, and returned to where the Outlanders were gathered. She ate along with Kahawia and Zira, wondering why she felt so down all of a sudden. She blamed it on Kuuliza's death and tried not to focus on how her stomach turned every time she thought about Scar's genuine interest in Zira.

* * *

><p>As the weeks passed, Karanga had to adapt to her new rhythm of life; now that Kuuliza was no longer there, she had more time to dedicate to her daughters and to prepare for the arrival of the upcoming cubs. New hunting schedules would be needed, as well as new baby sitters, so there were a few things to organize.<p>

Anasa started showing the signs of pregnancy, and Rafiki confirmed that she was with cub, and rumour was that Mahali could be expecting cubs as well.

The Outlanders still kept to themselves, hunting separately and fending for themselves, sharing their meals with Scar and Ndani only.

One morning, Mahali and Sarafina were grooming each other after waking up, enjoying the warm rays of the sunlight showering Pride Rock. The two lionesses were still very close, and as such, Mahali had asked Sarafina if she could go with her to Rafiki's tree, to see what he had to say about her current state.

Sarafina had gladly accepted. "Are you nervous?" she asked as she groomed her pride-mate's ears.

"Just a little bit," Mahali replied, looking down at her tummy. "It's just weird, to think something's growing inside you, you know?"

Sarafina nodded. "Yes, I remember the feeling as if it had been yesterday." She turned to look at Nala, who was questioning Anasa whether her cubs were coming already or not, like she did every morning.

"Nala can't wait either. It's going to do her good, to have some playmates. She's never been the same since Simba passed away," Sarafina added.

"She didn't really build a bond with the hyena pups, did she?" Mahali asked.

Sarafina shook her head. "They played together a few times but it's not the same. I think she can't forget that she was almost eaten by Shenzi and her gang. She doesn't trust the hyenas, and I can't blame her for wanting to stay away from them."

Mahali stood up and stretched herself. "Shall we go to Rafiki then? The sooner I know for sure, the better."

Sarafina nodded. She kissed Nala goodbye, and left Pride Rock with Mahali.

The two lionesses walked past the Outlanders on their way to the tree. Zira and Kahawia were helping Njano to get up and walk a few paces. Njano was doing a lot better, but walking was still very painful.

Sarafina chuckled to herself when she heard Kahawia say, "Hold on gals, I think I'm gonna be sick again..."

Mahali looked at Sarafina and whispered, "Do you think she might want to come with us?"

Sarafina nodded and called Kahawia, "Hey, we're going to Rafiki, he might have a remedy for that nausea. Do you want to come along?"

The lioness hesitated for a moment, but Zira encouraged her to go with them.

Kahawia joined the Pride Landers, and muttered, still feeling queasy, "I hope he can help, I can't hold anything down."

"He's really good, I'm sure he's got something. Did you eat something bad?" Mahali asked.

Kahawia shook her head.

Sarafina glanced at her, but said nothing.

The three lionesses walked in silence for a while, unsure of what to say, as they still hadn't built any bond despite the fact that the Outlanders had been in the Pride Lands for a while already. So they resorted to small talk about the weather and how the rain season should be coming any moment now.

When they reached Rafiki's tree, he tended to Mahali first, while Kahawia waited patiently, admiring the view. She entertained herself by exploring the area in the meantime.

Rafiki confirmed with a smile that Mahali was indeed expecting cubs. The lioness hugged Rafiki without warning, and the startled baboon let out a loud chuckle and patted her on the back. "Congratulations!"

Sarafina nuzzled her friend and also congratulated her sincerely.

Rafiki called Kahawia and proceeded to examine her. "And what brings you here today?"

"I've been sick to my stomach lately, and they said you might have a remedy for that," Kahawia replied, pointing with her paw towards the lionesses.

Rafiki rubbed his chin. "Well, that depends on what's causing it. Did you eat any weird plants lately?"

Kahawia shook her head.

"Do you feel any pain?" he asked, checking her temperature.

"Nope, no pain at all. Just get awful dizzy in the mornings and I ain't hungry as usual."

Rafiki smiled to himself. "Feeling a bit more tired or more sleepy than normal?"

Kahawia pondered for a moment. "Now that you mention it, yeah... Sometimes it really takes an effort just to get on my paws."

Sarafina frowned as she listened to Kahawia's symptoms and whispered to Mahali, "I don't like the sound of that..."

"Huh?" Mahali said, as he watched Rafiki feeling around the lioness' belly, checking for cubs in Kahawia just as he had done with her a moment ago.

"If she's with cub too, and it happens to be Scar's... He won't kick them out back to the Outlands, even after Njano's recovered from her wound. Mark my words," Sarafina whispered.

Mahali appeared thoughtful. She knew this piece of news wouldn't go well with the rest of the Pride, which were still rather hostile towards Zira and her group.

Sarafina's suspicions were confirmed when Kahawia joined them, carrying a small pouch with herbs around her neck, to combat the morning sickness. The lioness was grinning broadly. "Well, what do you reckon, I'm expecting too! My first cubs ever, who would have thought..."

It was hard for Mahali not to relate with Kahawia at this point. "I know... So exciting, isn't it?" she blurted out, smiling broadly.

Kahawia nodded in return, eying her own belly with curiosity.

"Is it Scar's?" Sarafina asked Kahawia, sounding more blunt that she had intended to.

Kahawia looked down in embarrassment. "Er... Well, yeah... I couldn't find me a rogue around the area, so... But I asked Ndani first, of course! She said it was okay to ask him for help."

"I see... And are you planning on raising the cub here?" Sarafina added, still sounding curtly.

"Um, I guess so," Kahawia replied, sensing Sarafina's hostility, "for as long as we're allowed to stay, at least. After all, there's no safer place to raise a young one than here."

Sarafina nodded quietly.

"I'm gonna run ahead now, gonna go tell my mates the good news!" Kahawia exclaimed, feeling suddenly uncomfortable by Sarafina's attitude, and ran off towards Pride Rock, leaving Mahali and Sarafina alone by the tree.

Sarafina sighed deeply, feeling a bit guilty about her passive-aggression towards Kahawia. She just shook her head for a moment and whispered, "Come, let's go."

"It'll be busy times ahead, with so many cubs around..." Mahali said as they made their way back home too.

"Yes, but I think we're all looking forward to it. It's been a while since we had a little one to lighten things up around here... Nala's still young, but I tell you, one of these days I am going to get the _'I am not a baby anymore!' _retort out of her, I just know it."

Mahali chuckled. "Yes, they grow so fast, don't they..."

The lionesses carried on discussing the future cubs excitedly as they walked back, and when they made their way to Pride Rock, Mahali announced that she was officially expecting too. The whole pride congratulated her and Anasa even shed some tears, happy that at least one of her cubs had made it to adulthood and would be having her own babies soon.

Scar grinned to himself when he heard the news and congratulated Mahali too. As tradition dictated, he placed his paw on her belly and wished for a safe birth and for healthy cubs.

He still hadn't heard about Kahawia, but when he eventually did, he felt rather content. He liked the idea that he was helping to make the Pride grow, and that he would live on through his sons and daughters. Scar was also excited that the Outlanders had lowered their guard with him, and was more than happy to provide a home for the cubs he had fathered with Kahawia.

He now secretly hoped that Zira and Ndani would come to him soon. Ndani, to provide him with an heir to the throne, and Zira, because he could not stop thinking about her lately. He always had a great time with her when they got together, whether it was for hunting lessons, or discussing things like changing obsolete laws and shaping the world to their own tastes. It turned out that Zira and Scar had a lot in common, and the more time they spent together, the less they wanted to part ways in the end.

Ndani had admitted to herself, much to her own dismay, that she had developed feelings for Scar in the meantime, but she never confessed this to him. She could tell he was more interested in Zira and was afraid he'd reject her and ruin the current relationship she had with him as friends. Her insecurities reared their ugly head though, and for the first time since the arrival of the Outlanders, she felt her position was threatened. She kept having dreams about losing everything and being at the bottom of the Pride again, and it all made her very uneasy.

Sarabi picked on it one morning, when Ndani appeared jumpy and distracted for no apparent reason.

"Hey, Ndani, have you got some time?" Sarabi asked.

"Huh? Oh... yeah, sure..." Ndani replied.

Sarabi motioned with her head for her to follow, and Ndani walked a few paces behind, wondering what Sarabi wanted to discuss with her.

Once they were alone, Ndani asked, "Did I screw something up?"

Sarabi sighed and smiled slightly. "Typical you, always assuming the worst."

Ndani sat on her haunches. "So what's up then?"

Sarabi nuzzled her for a moment. "I was just wondering if you were okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ndani asked, trying to keep a straight face.

"Well, you're distant and jumpy, and you didn't even laugh at Huria, when she tripped over that twig and fell flat on her face."

Ndani hesitated, but then remembered that Sarabi had been a Queen once too, and perhaps she could relate to the fears she was experiencing.

"It's... It's all these cubs popping up here and there..."

"My, my, are you the jealous type?" Sarabi asked as she raised an eyebrow.

Ndani shook her head. "It's not that... I'm just... I feel..." Ndani struggled with her words for a moment, but eventually went on, "Tell me, Sarabi, has a King ever changed his mind about the lioness he chose as his Queen?"

Sarabi immediately understood Ndani's fear, as she had noticed that Scar didn't spend much time with her lately. "I've heard some stories, but that was because the Queen in question had turned out to be a real psycho. I don't think you fit that category, and Scar still seems to like you," she added with a smile.

"But, suppose that the King falls in love with someone else... Can he change his mind then?"

Sarabi looked at Ndani and sighed. "In theory, he cannot dump you unless he has a good reason. The moment he decided to choose you, he made a commitment to you as well, so he can't simply change Queens from one day to the other. But... He does spend an awful lot time with Zira lately, doesn't he?"

"You noticed too?" Ndani asked, looking a bit mortified.

Sarabi took a deep breath. "Ndani, I don't want to intrude in your personal affairs or anything but... Don't you think perhaps he's tired of waiting for you to make up your mind about giving him an heir?"

Ndani looked away for a moment. "Do you think that would strengthen our bond somehow? Or will I just end up fat n' knocked up while Zira gets all the attention?"

"That's something that you will need to discuss with Scar himself; I can't tell you how he will react or what's on his mind..."

"Damn, why do I always manage to get myself in some major mess... It would have been so much easier if I hadn't stopped seeing him as just a friend."

"Just a _friend_?"

"That was our initial arrangement, you know? We got along well but we didn't love each other. So I cannot blame him now for looking at Zira in that special way, when the first thing I told him when he chose me as his mate was _but we're pals and I don't love ya!_"

"I can imagine, but he can't really blame you for feeling that way," Sarabi replied, "It is always a lot more difficult when the King has to pick a Queen all of a sudden, because of a tragedy of some sort. If lucky, the lioness in question might have had some time to build some sort of bond with him, but it always works the best when the Prince actually has the time to fall in love with someone and gets to pick his mate that way. Look what happened with Karanga... No one knew at the time, but her relationship with Thembi was far from perfect."

Ndani let out a loud sigh, remembering how Karanga had distanced herself from Thembi after Scar went to live with the hyenas at the elephant graveyard.

"Does Scar actually know that your feelings for him have changed?" Sarabi asked.

Ndani shook her head. "I think it ain't mutual, and I'll just end up making a fool outta myself."

"But what's the alternative? Pretending you don't care that he's neglecting you? He might not demote you, like you fear, but being a lonely Queen doesn't sound like fun to me either."

Ndani appeared to be thoughtful for a moment.

"Think about it, in the end it's your decision of course, but sometimes male lions are a little bit blind to what we'd like from them and they need a push in the right direction."

Ndani smiled at Sarabi, wondering whether Mufasa ever needed a push himself, but she didn't question her in that regard.

"Sarabi... I haven't asked... didn't wanna bring things up, but... Um, how are you doing?"

The lioness was taken aback for a moment but recovered her composure rather quickly. "I just take it one day at a time. Some days it's harder than others, you know?"

"How are you coping?"

"Well, when I feel really down I go to the burial grounds to speak to Mufasa, wishing I'd also have a tomb of some sort to pay my respects to my dear son. I know it doesn't matter where he's fallen, he can hear me all the same, but still. I dream of Mufasa quite often, and it's always the same dream... He says he misses me and that he and Simba are doing fine, but I never see little Simba with him. I think not knowing where my son exhaled his last breath haunts me in my dreams as well as when I'm awake."

Ndani let out a deep sigh. She couldn't begin to imagine what it would feel like to lose a husband and a son in one day. "You're so strong, Sarabi. I dunno how I'd manage..."

"Let's hope you'll never have to find out," Sarabi said and stood up, stretching her legs as she did so. "I'm going back to the cave now, are you coming?"

Ndani shook her head. "Got some official stuff to attend to... Thanks for the talk though."

Sarabi smiled and whispered, "Any time."

The lionesses parted ways, Sarabi headed back to where the Pride was lounging, and Ndani went in search for Shenzi.

* * *

><p>Ndani kept Sarabi's words in her mind, but for now she had to focus on another task at hand. The lionesses had complained that the herds kept straying further and further away, and they blamed it on the hyenas. So it was up to Ndani to talk to them about it.<p>

She finally found Shenzi, who appeared to be in a heated argument with Asani.

"I am NOT going to tell them to stop hunting, that was one of the perks of coming to this place, remember?" Shenzi growled.

"But it's becoming more difficult to find some grub, if this keeps up soon we won't have anything to hunt at all! It'll be like the elephant graveyard all over again! Creepy place, fulla skeletons n' nothing to eat. Sounds familiar to ya?"

Ndani cleared her throat to attract their attention, but was quickly dismissed by Asani, who didn't even turn to look at her. "We're in the middle of somethin' here! Can't you see?"

Ndani frowned. "Well, I came all this way to discuss the same thing you two are goin' on about..."

Asani finally turned to look at the lioness and became more polite as soon as she realized it was the Queen. "I'm sorry, I'm just... There's no reasoning with her!" she exclaimed, pointing at Shenzi with a paw in an exasperated manner.

Shenzi rolled her eyes. "So we need to travel a bit further, what's the big deal?"

Ndani turned to Shenzi. "Have you done some hunting yourself lately? It's not a _bit further_ like you said. The last time we even had to cross the borders to find one of the herds!"

Shenzi didn't admit out loud that she had been eating from what some of the hyenas had been depositing by the rock, mainly meant for the nursing mothers and the elder hyenas. She didn't want to see all that food going to waste either, so it had been a while since she did some real hunting for herself.

"Scar promised us that we would never go hungry again," Shenzi replied, "So you can't come and tell us that we need to stop hunting just cause you don't wanna walk further for your chow."

Ndani bared her teeth for a moment. "Scar ain't all-mighty, ya know. He doesn't control what the herds do or where they go. If you keep pushing 'em away, don't think that Scar can just go and stand up on the promontory and roar to call 'em all back, just so he can fulfill his promise of endless meat to you guys."

Asani nodded. "We gotta play our part too, I've been telling you this for ages already but you never listen!"

Shenzi rolled her eyes. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, if there are any limitations to what we can do here in this place, we want to hear them from Scar himself. So far he has not complained at all about us, so I don't see why you two should."

"Scar doesn't do the hunting, ya know," Ndani snarled, "But fine, I'll ask him to talk to you, see if he can knock some sense into that thick head o'yours."

"Yeah, until then!" Shenzi said and turned around, leaving Ndani and Asani behind.

Ndani glanced at Asani. "While I'm here, I might as well ask... You haven't brought any food to Pride Rock lately. I take it that your clan is not huntin' in excess, now that the herds are strayin'?"

Asani nodded. "They've started eatin' from the surplus again, even if it ain't as fresh as they would like..."

"That's good I guess... That might give the herds some time to return..."

"It doesn't help that it hasn't rained for a while. The grass ain't looking pretty, so I guess the herds are also looking for food themselves somewhere far away," the hyena said as she scratched behind her good ear.

Ndani sighed deeply. "Well, I'm off then. Hopefully Scar will come here soon to talk to Shenzi."

Asani grinned. "Thanks. I'm countin' on ya."

Ndani turned back in the direction of Pride Rock. Scar was bound to have returned from his patrolling duties, and it made her rather nervous to think that she'd have to open her heart to him. She still feared being laughed at and ridiculed, even though Scar had never done anything of the sort.

"Maybe I'll just wait n'see if whatever this is I'm feeling for Scar just goes away on its own, before rushing things with him..." she told herself, and made her way to Pride Rock, feeling a knot in her stomach starting to form just from the thought of confronting Scar with her feelings.


	12. A Growing Pride

_Chapter 12_

**A Growing Pride**

Several days had gone by but Ndani still had not gathered the courage to speak to Scar about her feelings. She had been very close, but got cold feet at the last moment.

The lion himself had noticed that she was acting a bit differently, and decided he would confront her about it. The opportunity arose one evening, after Ndani and the Outlanders had helped Njano walk around a little bit to recover her strength.

After they were done, Zira approached Scar and asked him, "Feel like a fighting lesson tonight?"

Scar shook his head. "Thanks, but not tonight. I need to talk to Ndani," he replied, as he looked at his Queen in the distance, who was helping Njano to lie down.

Zira frowned. "Everything all right?"

Scar grinned slightly. "That's what I'm hoping to find out."

"I guess she's still peeved 'cause you haven't talked to Shenzi yet about the herds."

Scar rolled his eyes. "The herds leave every time, and they never fail to come back. I don't see why she and Asani are making such a fuss about this..."

"The herds are leaving earlier this year, that's what's strange," Zira replied.

Scar looked away and noticed Ndani heading towards the cave.

"I have to go. I'll see you later," he said, glad to have an excuse to not carry on with this discussion, and he left to go after Ndani.

Zira shrugged and returned to her pride-mates. She sat down by Kahawia and stared at the pregnant lioness' belly thoughtfully, while Njano and Kahawia talked animatedly about Njano's recovery.

* * *

><p>Scar caught up with Ndani just before she was about to enter the cave.<p>

"Are you going to sleep already?" he asked her.

Ndani looked up startled as she hadn't expect him to be there; she thought he would stay with Zira longer.

"Yeah, I guess so," she replied, feeling a bit drowsy.

Scar walked a few paces away from her. "Care to join me for a walk before you turn in for the night?"

Ndani blinked a couple of times. "S-sure..." she said, and joined Scar.

They walked quietly for a while, both wondering what was on each other's mind. It was Ndani who finally dared to interrupt the awkward silence.

"Heh... S'been a while since we last took a walk together..."

The lion eyed her from the corner of his eye as he walked. "Is it now?"

"Yeah, I mean, with you being busy with the patrollin' and the tending to the lionesses' needs and stuff, and your... fighting lessons and whatnot..."

Scar picked up on a slight change in her tone of voice as she spoke the last few words. He walked a bit faster and stood in front of Ndani, facing her directly and blocking her path.

"Hold on just a moment. You said you didn't mind me spending time with the rest of the lionesses, remember?"

Ndani tried to look into his eyes but quickly looked away. "I don't mind you goin' away to make some cubs every now and then, but you seem to spend most of your time with Zira and I just feel kinda forgotten sometimes."

Scar tilted his head for a moment. "The way you talk, it almost sounds as if you were jealous-"

"Why does everyone keep assuming that!" she interrupted him, "It's not jealousy, I'm glad if you guys get along, I'm just not sure as to where I stand at the moment!"

Scar looked slightly puzzled. "You're the Queen. What's so unclear about that? What's really going on, Ndani?"

The lioness bit her lip for a moment and looked at him. "You don't regret having chosen me, now that you found a lioness you're actually interested in?"

Scar chuckled for a moment. "What are you talking about? Even if I felt like choosing her, Zira isn't even part of the Pride!"

"It's a matter of time, Scar. Kahawia is already expecting your cubs, and I see the way Zira stares longingly at her tummy. I just know it, she'll give in again to her craving for cubs, she'll come to you for assistance, and she won't be leaving any time soon. The Pride will have to accept the Outlanders sooner or later..."

Scar sat down on his haunches. "Okay, let me make one thing very clear. I have not thought about choosing anyone else as Queen. I am sorry if my actions led you to think I would, but the thought had not even crossed my mind. Now, just let me get this straight... You were terrified when I chose you as Queen, and now you appear terrified at the possibility of losing the title. Is that it?"

She looked away again and whispered, "It's not the title I'm afraid of losing, Scar."

Scar remained silent, as Ndani's words sank in. He felt his heart sink to the bottom of his stomach, because now more than ever he was sure that he didn't have any romantic interest in Ndani, unlike the way he felt about Zira. He hated to have to disappoint her.

"I thought we were just friends... What made you change your feelings towards me?" Scar asked her eventually.

"It just happened. Just being closer to you and spending more time together and taking naps and grooming each other. One day I woke up and I realized that I felt bad for not having wished you good mornin' before you left on patrol, and I just couldn't wait 'til you were back, longin' to lie against you and sleep at your side."

The lioness was trembling visibly, Scar could tell by just looking at her that pouring her heart out to him had not been easy.

"I am sorry I didn't see it sooner, Ndani. I do enjoy the time we spend together, and we have grown a lot closer, but I'm afraid I cannot return the feelings you've developed for me. You're still a very good friend to me."

Ndani nodded and sighed deeply. "I know. I don't blame ya, I have not been the best Queen ever-"

"Don't be absurd," he interrupted her, "You're doing just fine. The lionesses respect you more, your hunting skills have improved a lot, you have dealt with other animals and helped solve disputes... Don't be so hard on yourself."

"But... There's another kinda important thing I've failed to do as Queen..." she said, as she patted her belly with a paw a couple of times.

Scar smirked slightly. "I told you already, you can come to me whenever you feel ready. You don't need to rush it just because some of the other lionesses are expecting cubs of their own."

Ndani nodded and exhaled deeply, she didn't know what else to say.

Scar sat closer to her. "I honestly didn't know you felt this way, Ndani. I thought you didn't care much if I spent time away. Now I know better, and I promise to pay more attention to you."

Ndani nodded quietly again, as a few tears rolled down her cheeks. She cursed herself for having fallen in love with him and complicating things for the both of them. The lioness shook herself quickly and dried her tears with a paw, hoping Scar hadn't noticed it.

The lion did notice, but didn't say anything.

"Anyway, I guess I'll go back to the cave now, you can go back to Zira..." she said.

"I had no intention on spending tonight with Zira, as a matter of fact," Scar replied. He lay down on the grass and patted the spot next to him invitingly.

Ndani couldn't suppress a grin. She padded to him and lay down by his side, snuggling her head in his mane.

Scar, now aware of Ndani's feelings, wondered if he could ever feel the same way for her. Zira was a big flirt, but he wasn't sure of her feelings towards him yet, so Ndani had been the first lioness ever to actually admit falling in love with him. It warmed him up inside, seeing her enjoying his company and smiling at the slightest touch of his paw, while not being in season. He had learned that the rest of the lionesses could be very receptive to him during that period, but after that they wouldn't ask for his company again. So it meant a lot to him that Ndani enjoyed his attentions all the same, and sought his company just because she genuinely liked being with him.

He could tell by Ndani's breathing that the lioness had fallen asleep. He tried to join her, but her revelation had shocked him more than he had thought, and his mind kept going over the events of that night. Instead, he lay there awake, thinking about the two lionesses, contemplating the scenario of having two Queens at some point. He was the King, after all, he could do whatever he wanted. He chuckled to himself and wrapped a paw around Ndani, who snuggled closer. Life was good at the moment, and he stared up at the sky, wishing his father could see him now, content, loved and thriving.

Eventually Scar fell asleep as well, but he had a restless night with all the exciting thoughts still rushing through his mind.

* * *

><p>Weeks later, the birth of Anasa's cubs was imminent. The heavy lioness bid farewell to the Pride and retreated to bring her cubs to the world in solitude.<p>

Mahali still had some time to go before delivery, but she was heavy enough to be excused from hunting. With two lionesses short, Sarafina had asked Ndani if she wanted to join the hunting party, but Ndani politely declined the offer, and said she would keep hunting with the Outlanders instead, at least until Huria apologized to her.

Huria, stubborn as she was, refused to apologize, and so the Pride remained divided, with two hunting parties to feed each group of lionesses.

But when Mahali and Kahawia's time to give birth finally came, Zira and Ndani reluctantly agreed to join Sarabi's hunting party, at least temporarily, since they still had to cover very long distances to find food. More lionesses meant they could bring back bigger pray to make it worth the effort.

Scar awaited eagerly the return of the future mothers, wondering what the cubs would look like. This time he was totally certain that he was the father, which made him rather proud.

Anasa was the first one to return, with one healthy cub hanging from her muzzle.

"Welcome back!" the lionesses yelled excitedly when they saw her approaching.

They all grouped in front of Anasa to take a good look at the new comer, including Scar.

The lioness placed the cub on the ground in front of her, and displayed it proudly for Scar to see. "It's a female, her name is Nyota."

Scar sniffed the cub curiously for a moment and then looked at Anasa, who had a sad expression despite being happy to be back home.

"Are you all right?" he asked her.

Anasa sighed deeply. "There was another, a beautiful male, but he didn't make it through the first night."

"Oh no... We're sorry to hear that..." Sarabi said, nuzzling her pride-mate for comfort.

Scar felt sorry for her, and he was also disappointed. He had chosen a few names to give to the cubs in case they turned out to be males, but for now he'd have to wait.

Anasa looked around for her older daughter, but she still had not returned. "Are there any news on Mahali?"

Sarafina nodded, smiling. "The last report from Zazu was that she appeared to be fine, and nursing one cub. No cubs for Kahawia just yet..."

Nala in the meantime approached little Nyota and inspected her closely. She had never seen a cub before, other than Simba, but she had no recollection of her first days and how small they both had been back then. She was impressed by how tiny and fragile the cub was.

"How am I supposed to play with her? She'll break in half!" she exclaimed.

Sarafina laughed and nuzzled her daughter. "Give her time, Nala, in a few weeks she'll be bouncing and running after you, you'll see."

Ndani watched from a distance. She could see Scar looking down proudly at the cub. The lioness pictured how glad he would be, the day she would finally provide him with an heir. She knew she would have to make a decision soon, and seeing Scar so content made her feel that it was about time that she stepped up to her responsibility as Queen.

Ndani was still absorbed in her thoughts when Zira came and sat down beside her.

"That's it. I want to try again," Zira said bluntly.

Ndani rolled her eyes for a moment. "We've been through this, Zira... Last time it was hell. Why do you insist in submitting yourself to that all over again?"

Zira shrugged as she stared ahead at the Pride Landers. "Maybe it will be different now. Things are a lot less stressful here, I don't need to be constantly on my guard, and we eat well, and there's that monkey with his remedies... Who knows, maybe it will help."

"Are you sure you'll be able to care for a cub? I mean, you go away a lot..."

"Psh. I haven't gone away in months. See? This is the right moment, I have to take this chance!"

Ndani sighed deeply. "Fine, do whatever you want, but I just don't want to see you writhing in pain like last time, ya hear?"

Zira smirked. "Yeah, I'll try to control that next time, sure."

Ndani chuckled along and both lionesses remained silent for a moment.

"You know, Ndani, ever since I left the crater I never really thought of any other place as home, but this right here, it's kinda warming up to the name..." she said, as she looked around the Pride Lands.

"I knew it, once you had a taste of it, going back to the Outlands would be totally out of the question," Ndani replied, her smile fading.

Zira nodded but glanced at Ndani. "You don't sound so thrilled though."

Ndani looked at her. "Oh, no, no, don't get me wrong, I'm lovin' having you guys around and huntin' together and all."

Zira raised an eyebrow. "So... What's the problem then?"

"Who says there's a problem?"

Zira narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're doing that thing with your paw that you always do when you're upset about something," she said as she proceeded to shuffle the ground with her paw in the same fashion as Ndani had been doing.

Ndani stared down at the disturbed soil; she had never known that she did anything with her paws while upset, but apparently it was obvious enough for Zira to have picked up on it.

"Well?" Zira went on, "Out with it."

Ndani shook her head. "It's nothing, Zira. It's something I have to deal with myself."

"Since it involves me, I'd rather like to know, thank you very much."

Ndani tried to walk away. "Please, just forget it..."

Zira followed her, not noticing that Scar had walked closer and had heard them arguing.

"Forget it? Yeah, right! The last time you said that, and Kahawia and I decided to drop the issue, I then had to pull your ass back from the edge of the gorge. I ain't buying it this time. You're telling me what's wrong, and we're dealing with it right now."

"Let her be, Zira," Scar said from behind her.

Both lionesses turned to him, looking a bit startled.

Zira recovered her composure immediately. "Sorry Scar, but this is between her and me."

Ndani looked from Scar to Zira, feeling rather embarrassed, not knowing what to do or say. "I'm sorry..." she mumbled with a choked voice, and ran away, leaving Zira and Scar behind.

Zira cursed out loud as she lashed at the ground with a paw. "Just what is her problem?" she asked, turning to Scar.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked.

Zira looked at him slightly exasperated.

"Come with me..." the lion said, and they walked away, leaving the pride behind, while the lionesses were still distracted with Nyota's arrival.

Once they were alone, Scar sat down and faced Zira.

"Well?" she said, still annoyed.

Scar appeared to be calm, but in reality he was quite nervous about what the outcome of this talk would be. "The problem is that when I chose her as my Queen, neither one of us was in love with each other."

Zira rolled her eyes, "Big news, I knew that already."

"Did you also know that the situation has changed recently?"

Zira looked at him and shook her head. She went very serious but didn't say more.

"Ndani apparently has developed romantic feelings for me."

Zira looked away for a moment, feeling her heart racing. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It's bad; she knows I can't return the feeling."

Zira looked at him, wondering where he was heading with this conversation.

"Fine and dandy, but what's it got to do with me?" she asked.

Scar swallowed with some difficulty, and took the approach that he thought would work the best with Zira: being as direct as possible. "She found out the reason why I cannot return the feeling. It's because I am interested in you instead."

Zira blinked a couple of times, as his words sank in. The lioness grinned, as Ndani's attitude earlier suddenly made sense to her now. "I'll say... That explains her reaction to what we were discussing earlier..."

Scar looked at Zira as he raised an eyebrow.

"You see..." she went on, "I was just telling her how I would really like to try to have a cub soon."

Scar grinned to himself, but didn't say anything and allowed her to carry on.

"She immediately thought it would be a terrible idea. Had I known the real reason behind her words..."

Scar shook his head. "Oh, no. Don't take that the wrong way. She was extremely worried last time, when your pregnancy didn't go well. I am sure she doesn't want the same to happen again."

Zira looked away, "Oh... She told you about that..."

Scar nodded. "Ndani is not jealous, she's just insecure and afraid that I'll be dedicating all my time to you and forget all about her."

Zira looked at him. She knew the ball was on her court and it as up to her to make the next move.

"Listen, Scar, about that..."

The lion tightened his lips, but the rest of his face remained blank, his expression difficult to read.

"You know how I feel about males and all that..." Zira hesitated for a moment, "But... Well, you're... different... You're the only one so far that I've felt like actually hanging out with and having a good time. I am not sure if this is love or not, but it's more than I've ever felt for any other lion, that's for sure."

Scar smirked. "That sounds like there's some hope for me..."

Zira chuckled. "But what about your broken-hearted Queen?"

"I promised I'd pay attention to her too. So both of you will have to forgive me for not being able to spend every night by your side."

"You talk as if you only have one side to snuggle against," she replied, smiling seductively.

Scar simply grinned and looked at her. He would have liked to have her confessing love for him like Ndani had done earlier, but he was glad that at least she had not turned him down, and she was actually looking forward to having a cub with him soon. Scar could hardly wait. The days where he felt the same way for Sarafina seemed so far and distant now.

Zira sighed deeply and stood up. "I should go find Ndani, I know she's prone to blow things outta proportion so I'd rather have this sorted out as soon as possible."

Scar nodded. "Yes, I think she'll appreciate it."

But Zira remained motionless, looking at him as her tail swished from side to side.

Scar took this as a hint that she didn't really want to leave, and smiled slightly as he took a step towards her.

Zira's ears perked up slightly but she kept her ground.

The lion rubbed his body full length against hers as he walked past her.

Zira closed her eyes, enjoying the physical contact with a male for the first time in her life. She hoped for more of his attentions, but was disappointed when she opened her eyes again, only to find Scar had actually left.

"Oh, you tease..." she said to herself as she chuckled slightly. The lioness shook herself and went to look for Ndani, to set things straight. She knew just the place where she would find her; by the edge of the gorge.

Ndani lay close to the edge, staring into the distance thoughtfully, but Zira sighed in relief as it appeared the lioness had no intention of jumping this time.

"Hey..." she said as she approached so as not to startle Ndani.

Ndani looked up. "Hey, you..."

Zira sat by her side and stared into the distance as well. "I had a heart to heart with Scar," she said, not beating around the bush, "and basically, you and I mean a lot to him, but in different levels. But that's no reason why we cannot get along, right?"

Ndani nodded. "I know... I'm sorry I over-reacted back there... Dunno what got into me. I've been thinkin' a lot and I should just be happy that you guys get to live here with me and that you might even be able to have the cubs you want so much. I didn't wanna sound selfish or anything..."

"I understand," Zira said, "I didn't know that you had fallen for him. You kept that secret well. But it ain't like I'm stealing him away from you, you know. I actually think he kinda digs that we both like him, and he wants to spend time with the both of us."

Ndani laughed. "That he does... And I think he'll be happy when he finds out we both want to have a go at making a cub."

Zira raised one eyebrow. "Wow... You've finally made up your mind?"

Ndani nodded. "Only he doesn't know yet. So I'll just wait till the time comes, and then surprise him..."

Zira grinned and stood up, stretching her legs. "Whaddaya say we go back? He was a bit worried about you; we can put him at ease when he sees we're getting along again."

Ndani nodded and walked together with Zira back to Pride Rock. They walked past several hyenas, and noticed that a lot of them had small pups running around.

"Is it me, or are there a lot of pups all of a sudden?"

Zira looked around. "Yeah, you're right... I guess love is in the air."

Ndani frowned. "I dunno, I think there are enough hyenas around here as it is, I'm afraid we won't have enough food for everyone if this keeps up..."

"I bet they're thinking the same about the upcoming lion cubs," Zira replied.

"You can't compare a few cubs against... what was that, at least fifteen pups we saw back there? Plus the ones we have not seen yet!"

Zira shrugged. "So far things are working out, so I guess Scar will handle it when it really becomes a problem."

Ndani didn't say anything else, but she felt she would rather prevent the issue than waiting until things got out of hand.

Zira reached the area where Njano was resting. "Here we are... So I'll talk to you later."

Ndani nodded. "G'night," she said as she continued her way up to the cave. Scar was already lying on his plateau, and grinned slightly as she lay down next to him.

"Zira and I are okay now... I thought you'd like to know."

"That's good to hear," Scar replied, and rested his head on his paws, ready to get some sleep. He looked quite satisfied, and Ndani smiled warmly at him.

The lioness snuggled close to Scar and fell asleep not long after.

* * *

><p>When the time came for Kahawia and Mahali to return to the Pride, they were welcomed warmly by the rest of the lionesses, who were eager to take a look at the new cubs.<p>

Mahali had a little lioness she had decided to name Maua, while Kahawia returned with two little lionesses she named Jasiri and Malaika.

Scar was glad to see them back and healthy, but Karanga could notice that he appeared rather disappointed that there were still no male cubs around.

She approached him one afternoon, when both Zira and Ndani had gone out hunting together, and sat down next to him. "Hello, dear."

"Hi, mother," he replied, as he eyed the nursing mothers from a distance.

"I couldn't help but notice that you were a bit disappointed at the fact that all cubs have turned out to be female so far."

Scar snorted slightly. "Was I that obvious?"

Karanga shook her head. "I think only I noticed. But you know, son, it's not bad at all. You see, more females means more huntresses, while the males, except for your heir, usually will end up leaving the pride, to form their own somewhere else."

Scar eyed Karanga and sighed deeply. He knew he could confide in her. "The thing is, Ndani is still not ready to have cubs yet, and... Just in case something were to happen to me, it would be good to know there is at least one other male around that could take over."

Karanga smiled slightly. "Nothing's going to happen to you, with those hyenas watching over you..."

Scar smirked for a moment.

Karanga shifted her weight and cleaned one of her paws absent-mindedly. "There's also been a bloom of hyena pups, by the way. Have you noticed?"

Scar nodded. "Yes, Zira and Ndani already brought that to my attention. It seems everyone thinks now is a good time to bring new life into the group," he said as he smiled proudly, totally missing the point.

Karanga stared into the horizon, looking worried. "That'll be a lot more mouths to feed though. I am not sure all of them will actually make it through the drought. The little rain we've had the past few days is not enough to make the grass green again."

"Rafiki once looked into his shell for me, a while ago. He mentioned something like this would happen, but there were no additional doomsday prophecies from his side, so I'll trust that we'll pull through."

Karanga nodded and dropped the issue. "Well, if you excuse me, I think I'll go cuddle a cub or two..." she said as she stood up.

"Sure, knock yourself out," he said.

Karanga smiled at him and headed towards where the rest of the lionesses were resting. Scar could see them talking animatedly, and even Kahawia had joined the Pride Landers, invited by Mahali and Anasa. Nala was running around the lionesses excitedly, while little Nyota tried to keep up with her, her small legs still wobbly and uncoordinated.

Scar felt a bit drowsy and went to look for some shade to take a nap. He found a comfortable spot and lay down, falling asleep not long after. He started to dream, but no one was nearby to see him thrashing in his sleep.

His dream started rather uneventful, he was patrolling here and there, watching Ndani and Zira hunting in the distance, but all of a sudden, a feeling of distress took hold of him. Ndani and Zira faded, and he no longer was standing on the grass plains, he was at the gorge, where Mufasa had perished. He could see himself standing right on the same spot, only this time a ghostly image of Thembi was facing him. He was blaming him for everything that had gone wrong, from Kitok's untimely death, to Kuuliza's recent passing away, and also for the lack of rain and food. Scar knew he could not be blamed for any of that, but Thembi's ugly ghost kept pressing on.

"The lionesses wish they were still under Mufasa's reign, the Pride Lands would still be a safe place to raise a cub, unlike now, where they will need to grow under the constant threat of your so-called friends! You will pay for this! You'll be cursed! Your descendancy is already doomed, mark my words!" the ghost went on, yelling at the top of its lungs, and Scar was not able to speak back, he felt as if he had a knot in his throat that was slowly choking him.

As panic took ahold of him, the ghostly image of his father was slowly replaced by a more lively image instead. Thembi then looked just as Scar remembered him when he was still alive. Only his expression had softened greatly, and he simply whispered, "My ugly side tends to rear its head every now and then, I am very sorry. I could not help it. I actually just wanted to tell you-"

But at that moment, Scar woke up with an audible gasp. Ndani was standing next to him and she had been trying to wake him up for several minutes already.

"Scar! Scar are you okay?" she said, looking worried, "You were mumbling and kicking like mad!"

Scar looked around, realizing that it all had been a dream, and let out a sigh of relief. "I had a nightmare, that's all..."

"Wanna talk about it?" she asked.

Scar shook his head. "Did you find anything to eat?" he asked, changing the subject.

Ndani nodded. "We found a dead gazelle, but it still had some good meat on it so we just brought it here."

Scar followed Ndani towards the food and ate quietly. He didn't feel very hungry, but it was a good excuse to avoid talking about his dream, which was still very fresh in his mind. The image of his father had looked so real, it was almost as if Thembi had been standing right in front of him.

Ndani didn't question him further either, so after a while Scar just dismissed the dream and tried to forget about the things Thembi said. It just upset him that he could still feel so shaken, even after his father had been dead for so long. He then remembered that Karanga once saw Kitok's ghost while she slept, so the lion made a mental note to ask Rafiki about ghosts visiting one's dreams.


	13. Trouble in Paradise

_Chapter 13_

**Trouble in Paradise**

Several days went by, but Scar had not had the chance yet to speak to Rafiki about his nightmare. The baboon had left to restock his herb collection, but as soon as he was back, Zazu flew by and asked him to pop by Pride Rock.

Rafiki was greeted warmly by the lionesses, and he quickly inspected the cubs present. Anasa and Mahali's babies were growing strong and healthy, and already started showing a bit of personality too. Maua didn't mind being touched by Rafiki, but Nyota tried to bite one his fingers when he got too close.

Anasa reprimanded her, but the little lioness still looked distrustfully at him.

Rafiki laughed warmly and gave the cub a quick, gentle pat on the head.

Scar was in the cave, but he could hear Rafiki's voice as he talked to the lionesses, so he came out to greet him.

"Zazu said you needed to see me?" Rafiki asked, once they were out of earshot from the lionesses.

Scar nodded. "I was wondering if you could tell me how to differentiate between a normal dream, and a ghost talking to you."

Rafiki looked intrigued and sat down on a nearby rock. "Why do you ask? Do you think you received a visit from the spirit world?"

Scar shrugged slightly. "I have no idea, that's why I'm asking you..."

Rafiki scratched his beard. "It's not easy to tell, I'm afraid. Sometimes the spirits present themselves in a ghostly form, others prefer to look as they did when they were alive, others don't show themselves and come to us as a pure white mist..."

Scar sat on his haunches and listened raptly.

"The most common pattern I've noticed is that when they manage to communicate with someone, it is usually to warn them about something. Did your dream contain any warnings of some sort?"

Scar thought for a moment. "Warnings? It sounded more like threats..."

Rafiki frowned for a moment. "Perhaps, if you tell me your dream, we can figure it out together..."

The lion took a deep breath. "It was my father. He started as the ghostly shape you mentioned earlier, blaming me for things just like he used to do in the old days. He also said that the lionesses were unhappy under my reign and that my legacy was doomed. Maybe this is why none of the lionesses are having male cubs? Could it be that he has placed a curse on me?"

Rafiki shook his head. "Ghosts can't curse you, only demons can, and if you had seen one of those in your dreams, trust me, you would know for sure. There's also a nasty smell that lingers in the air for a while if a demon happens to show up, but I suppose you didn't notice anything like that, did you?"

Scar admitted he didn't. "There was no weird smell... The only thing I can remember is that before I woke up, he didn't look like a ghost anymore, and apologized for his earlier ranting. He was about to say something, but Ndani woke me up at that point. So, what do you think?"

"He apologized? Interesting... It could be that he's having a hard time moving on and trying to no longer hold a grudge against you. I'm sorry, Hatari, but I can't say for sure. Perhaps this dream was only that: a dream. A remnant of the nasty memories left behind by the way he treated you. But, if it was his spirit after all, and if he has something important to say, he will come to you again."

Scar looked away, slightly disappointed.

"If it helps to put your mind at ease..." Rafiki said, "Remember that time, when I looked into the shell for you and told you there would be cubs coming up?"

Scar looked at him, perking his ears slightly, and nodded.

"Well, if memory serves me right, there were at least one or two males."

Scar smiled to himself, feeling relieved. "Thanks for coming Rafiki... It was good to talk to you again."

The baboon said goodbye and went back to check on Kahawia's cubs, who were nursing nearby.

Scar stayed behind, looking thoughtful. "Two males..." he muttered to himself, wondering who the mother would be and whether one of them would grow up to take over the Pride Lands in the future.

When Scar went to sleep that evening, he felt a bit expectant, wondering whether his father would return to complete his message, but Thembi did not come to him again in his dreams. Instead, Scar had an uneasy night and had trouble staying asleep. In the end he gave up and decided to take a short stroll.

He stood up quietly, making sure not to wake Ndani up, and left the cave silently, as the rest of the lionesses slept on, undisturbed. In his haste, he didn't notice that there were two lionesses missing.

As Scar walked, he saw some hyenas nearby and caught a bit of their conversation. They were mostly going on about how there seemed to be less and less food nowadays, but so far they still appeared to be happy at the Pride Lands and had not complained directly to Scar about it yet, unlike the lionesses.

Not a single day would go by without one of them making a remark about how difficult it was becoming to hunt now. Scar had wondered out loud once why the Outlanders never complained, and Huria had sourly replied that it was because they weren't used to anything better, which caused quite an uproar with the Outlanders that almost ended in a fight.

Scar sighed and sat down for a moment, once he had left the chattering hyenas behind. Huria had a point, he thought. The Outlanders were used to surviving in rather scarce conditions, whereas the Pride Landers usually didn't have to struggle much to get by.

The lion was still lost in his thoughts when he heard voices approaching nearby. He perked his ears and recognized the voices almost instantly, they belonged to Sarabi and Huria. He wouldn't have paid much notice to them, but the lionesses were speaking in hushed voices, which piqued his curiosity. Scar crouched down and sneaked away, looking for a hiding spot, while keeping an eye on the lionesses. He sneaked closer until he could hear them clearly.

"I still don't understand why you have to bring me here in the middle of the night, Huria," Sarabi said, but hushed once more after Huria shushed her.

"I don't want to be overheard by the hyenas," Huria whispered.

Sarabi sat on her haunches and looked around. "Looks like we're on our own here... So... What's on your mind?"

Huria sat next to her, looking over her shoulders, but not noticing that Scar was lurking nearby. "It's what you said the other day, Sarabi. You got me thinking a lot... I don't know who else to talk to about this. Ndani and Karanga seem too attached to Scar so I don't feel comfortable talking to them..."

Sarabi pricked her ears. "So I take it you're not happy about the way things are going in the Pride Lands either?"

Huria looked into her eyes and whispered, "Yes, exactly! No one is, that's for sure. Only I don't think the rest of the Pride is too keen on a confrontation with the King, so they keep quiet. But I know we will somehow need to stand up to him and his army of goons. If we don't do it, I'm afraid it's all going to end in disaster..."

Sarabi nodded knowingly. "Huria, do you know what you're getting yourself into? We'd be conspiring against the King; if he were to find out... We wouldn't stand a chance against all those hyenas. We will have to be very careful about how we proceed..."

Huria nodded. "Yes, I've been thinking long and hard about this, and I'm willing to step up and do something about the situation here. I've come to the conclusion that fighting is not the solution. There's no way we can defend ourselves against the clan. No, we will have to leave this place, Sarabi... We walk away, we rendezvous somewhere else, team up with a good rogue and start anew, away from here."

Sarabi bit her lower lip, hesitating. She had contemplated this scenario, but it hurt her immensely to think of leaving these lands.

"C'mon, look around you, this place is doomed, and you know it," Huria pressed on.

Sarabi let out a deep sigh. "If only Mufasa was still around... I wonder what he would have done in this situation..."

Huria looked up at the sky. "There's nothing he could do against the lack of rain, I guess. But we wouldn't have this much shortage of food if it weren't for those dumb hyenas taking over all the place. Mufasa would have never let it get to this stage, that's for sure."

"But if we leave now... the cubs will be doomed if we were to join a rogue..."

"The cubs are already doomed! Especially if we stay here and do nothing! By leaving at least we're giving them the chance to grow up. Besides, they are all females... If we can just help them survive past cubhood, the rogue lion will see in all of us a steady, strong pride. The cubs will have a better chance, but not if we stay here!" Huria replied heatedly.

Sarabi went quiet for a moment. "What about Scar? Don't you think he'll try to look for us? I'm sure he'll want to know why we left."

Huria rolled her eyes. "As if it wasn't obvious already... Besides, he has Ndani and the Outlanders, who seem to be crazy about him. He won't miss us nagging lionesses much," she added, with a soft chuckle.

Sarabi didn't laugh along, as she knew that deserting the King was a very serious matter. She couldn't even think of any lionesses in the history of the Pride Lands that had resorted to leaving, to try and find another male to pair up with.

Huria looked at Sarabi and whispered, "We will have to do this without him knowing, there's no other way. Or do you really think he will simply let us walk away? Picture it, Sarabi: _Hello Scar, sorry but you suck at this ruling thing, so we're off to find a competent leader, see ya!_"

Sarabi added with a sigh, "If only he hadn't brought the hyenas over, I think he would have been a decent ruler... Never like his brother, though, but not as bad as this. The damage he's done, it's unbelievable..."

Huria nodded. "Think about it, Sarabi. We don't need to decide right away, but the sooner, the better... Will you talk to the other lionesses too? They're bound to follow you better than if I were to try and lead them..."

Sarabi nodded. "I'll think about it... For now let's go back to the cave, before they start wondering where we are."

The lionesses left, leaving Scar behind, who was shaking with fury. He could not believe what he had just heard, and many times during their conversation, he had felt the urge to jump on them and rip them to pieces. But knowing that Huria and Sarabi were some of the strongest lionesses in the Pride, he forced himself to stay hidden, simmering in his anger.

The lion paced back and forth, growling deeply, and thinking about what his father had told him in his dream. "So it is true, the lionesses all hate me, even after I spared a cub..." he muttered to himself. "Let them go, if they want, like I care!" he went on, but he stopped pacing all of a sudden and smirked slightly. "Or... Let them stay, until they learn their place..."

Scar remained still as he stared into the distance thoughtfully, and with a resolute look on his face, he made his way back to Pride Rock and went to look for Shenzi.

* * *

><p>The next morning, the pride rose, and the lionesses started to get ready for the hunt, hoping they would find something big enough to feed everyone.<p>

Scar was sitting on the promontory, and Ndani went to greet him. "Mornin'! Hey... where were you last night? I woke up but you were gone..."

"Couldn't sleep, went for a walk," he replied curtly.

Ndani was taken aback by his coldness and looked at him. "Is everything okay?"

Scar turned to her, his cold eyes piercing hers, making the meek lioness look away instantly. "I don't now, you tell me."

Ndani stared at her paws. "I swear I've no idea what you're on about, Scar... What happened? Did I mess up somehow?"

Scar glanced at her and sighed. He felt slightly guilty for taking his anger out on her, who did genuinely like him despite the way he had chosen to rule this kingdom.

Scar shook his head and finally said, "No, you did not, but it looks like I did. So, it's time to rectify a few things..."

Ndani looked at him, confused, but the lion said no more. He stood up and climbed down the promontory, towards Sarabi's hunting party.

"Morning, Scar," Anasa greeted, and the rest of the lionesses followed.

"Listen up, everyone," Scar said as he sat in front of them and ignored their greeting. Ndani sat by his side, her confused look now matching the looks of the rest of the Pride.

"It took a while, but it's about time that I, as King, set a few rules around here."

The lionesses stopped grooming themselves and faced Scar, tilting their heads in anticipation. They became more uneasy when several hyenas joined Scar's flanks.

The lion narrowed his eyes and stared at them. "As of today, no one leaves Pride Rock without a hyena escort. I don't care where you're going, whether it's the waterhole, Rafiki's tree, or looking for food. Is that clear?"

Sarabi and Huria exchanged a quick glance, knowing that they must have been overheard after all, despite their precautions.

Karanga opened her eyes wide and paced to Scar. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but what brought this up? Did something happen?"

Scar barely looked at Karanga as he replied, "I know for a fact some of you have been plotting against me, talking about deserting your King."

Karanga gasped and looked around. Most lionesses appeared shocked by this revelation, while Sarabi and Huria stared at the ground silently. Karanga frowned, but turned to Scar again and focused on the matter at hand. "My dear, are you absolutely certain?"

Scar nodded. "Yes, I heard them myself."

Huria buried her nails on the ground, feeling afraid all of a sudden, but tried to remain as still as possible.

Sarabi held her head up high, determined not to let him intimidate her.

"So consider yourselves warned," he said as he circled the pride and stopped in front of Huria and Sarabi, "I will not tolerate this anymore; anyone speaking about treason to the King will be punished accordingly, no exceptions!"

The lionesses nodded quietly.

"I think I have been a rather open-minded King so far, but you lot don't seem to appreciate it, so perhaps you need a ruler with a firmer paw... A bit like your _beloved_ Mufasa," he snarled as he looked Sarabi in the eye. "Which leads me to my second rule..."

The lionesses looked up, listening intently.

"I don't want to hear that name ever again. Anyone mentioning his name in my presence will be punished, and anyone who dares to compare me to Mufasa again, will be sentenced to death!"

The hyenas let out loud whoops and laughter, looking forward to the first lioness who'd break the rule, resulting in food for them.

There was an uproar with the lionesses too, as they looked at each other in disbelief.

"For crying out loud, don't you think you're over-reacting here?" Sarafina exclaimed.

Scar narrowed his eyes. "All my life I have been compared to him, even after his death. So it stops, right here, right now. No more comparisons. You're now under my reign, and as much as it pains you all, you will respect me as your King. Is that clear?" he snarled, the hyenas baring their teeth along with him.

The lionesses, caught of guard and feeling threatened, nodded regardless of whether they agreed with Scar or not.

Karanga approached Scar. "Son, could I talk to you for a minute?"

Scar shook his head. "You won't change my mind, Karanga. Now go with them, and make sure those two behave..." he said as he glanced at Sarabi and Huria.

The lion turned around and headed towards the Outlanders, who were lounging by the acacias and had not witnessed what just happened. Ndani followed him quietly.

Karanga watched them leave and hoped she would be able to speak to him later, once everyone had calmed down.

In the meantime, the hunting party rushed their preparations and quickly left Pride Rock, hoping to be able to discuss the recent events, but their hopes were crushed when they saw a group of hyenas following them; it was their escort for the hunt. The lionesses knew for sure that the hyenas would relay to Scar everything that was said during the hunt, so they barely exchanged any words unless it was absolutely necessary.

* * *

><p>Scar sat down by the Outlanders and explained the situation to them.<p>

"...So that's why you will see hyenas escorting them everywhere. I have also doubled the watch by the borders in case someone wants to sneak away unseen. But you can come and go as you please, of course," he said, while the Outlanders nodded understandingly.

"Funny thing is, we don't want to go anywhere..." Njano said, looking around at the Pride Lands. Even in its deteriorating state, it was still a lot better than some of the places they had been living before.

"I know that, and I greatly appreciate your loyalty," he paused for a moment, and then sighed. "Funny how I trust you all more than my own Pride at the moment," he muttered through clenched teeth.

"I swear I didn't know anything about this, Scar..." Ndani told him, looking worried.

Scar nodded. "I believe you, Ndani. Those two clearly said they hadn't talked to you because you were too attached to me."

Ndani blushed for a moment but smiled to herself.

Zira stood up and stretched herself. "I guess the hyenas are already acting as your eyes and ears around here, but if we hear or see anything too, we will let you know."

"Thanks, Zira," he replied, appreciating her loyalty even more.

However, the lioness appeared to be a bit restless, Scar could tell that something was bothering her. She appeared to struggle, as if she wanted to say something but did not know how to put it in words.

"Are you okay?" he asked with curiosity.

She glanced at her pride-mates for a moment and then at Scar. "How about you come with me for a fighting lesson?"

Scar raised an eyebrow at the sudden invitation. "Right now? I don't think I'm in the mood..."

Zira frowned. "It'll be a really good one, you'll see. It'll help you blow off some steam," she said, keeping a straight face.

Scar shrugged. "Fine... I'll see you later," he said to the lionesses, and followed Zira.

Kahawia glanced at Ndani and they both grinned at each other.

Njano looked at them with a puzzled expression. "What? What's so funny? Is she gonna kick his ass?"

"I think they'll be doing more than practising, if you know what I mean..." Kahawia said, and winked.

Njano's eyes widened for a moment, and she turned to look at Ndani. "You really cool with that?"

Ndani nodded. "Yep... I've been thinking about this a lot, you know. Besides, he's kept his promise and he's paid enough attention to me, so I can't complain."

Kahawia looked at her. "Have you two gone to the bushes already?"

Ndani shook her head, blushing slightly "No, not yet, but soon, I think..."

Kahawia smiled and picked up little Jasiri by the neck, and placed the cub between Ndani's paws.

Ndani looked down startled. "What are you doing?"

"Here, you can practise grooming in the meantime!" Kahawia said, as she started grooming the other cub, Malaika.

Ndani looked at the tiny, defenseless cub for a moment, and licked her head, apparently a bit too roughly since the cub let out a loud whine.

"Softer!" Kahawia said, "Like this, see?" she said, as she licked Malaika gently.

Ndani tried again, this time Jasiri did not cry out loud, and apparently even enjoyed the attention. The lioness kept grooming, but stopped at some point. "If this is supposed to wake up my maternal instincts, I'm afraid it's not working."

Kahawia grinned. "Just wait till it's your own little furball sitting there, and you'll see."

Ndani grinned and stared at Jasiri for a moment. The tiny lioness had snuggled against her paws and was now sleeping peacefully. Ndani could not deny feeling curious about what her own cubs would look like, but she hoped that in time she'd feel more drawn to raising cubs, than to the hunt itself.

* * *

><p>As Scar followed Zira, he noticed that her scent was different. He started to suspect that her invitation might have nothing to do with a practice session, but he didn't question her, just in case it was not what he had expected it to be. For all he knew, she was going to give him a fighting lesson, and nothing more, and he wanted to avoid making a fool out of himself.<p>

But once they had reached a secluded area, Zira turned around and faced the lion. Scar could see the fire in her eyes, that fire that he had learned to recognize from being with the other lionesses that requested his assistance in the past.

"Do you know already why we're really here?" Zira asked him softly.

Scar nodded, as his heart started beating faster and faster. He had learned that it was always a rather pleasant experience to be with a lioness during her season, but being with Zira right now made every other encounter seem quite dim in comparison, even the night he spent with Sarafina.

He found himself longing for Zira in a way he had never felt before, and the best of all was that he knew that the lioness in question actually felt the same way about him.

Zira, in turn, was also looking forward to this, for a change. Her first time with a lion she truly cared for, and who had treated her well, almost like a Queen. Feeling rather excited about her future by Scar's side, she was more than willing to mate with him, not worrying for the time being whether the pregnancy would be difficult or not. There would be time to worry about that later, but for now, there was nothing else in her mind but Scar.

Scar forgot all about his problems with the Pride-Landers for now. He allowed himself to be absorbed in the heat of the moment, and he gladly accepted Zira's enticing invitation.

* * *

><p>The Pride Landers returned to Pride Rock way after the evening had fallen, having hunted a couple of small gazelles. They were not too big but at least everyone would have something to eat to keep them going. The hyenas that had escorted them finally returned to their pack, while the lionesses decided to rest their paws inside the cave.<p>

Nala and the cubs were fast asleep, and only shifted positions slightly as the lionesses settled down inside.

Scar and Ndani were nowhere in sight, but since the Pride knew the King was already moody enough, they decided to wait for a while, before waking up the cubs and digging in.

Seeing how the hyenas had left them alone, Mahali ventured to ask in a hushed tone, "Okay, we don't have much time, so can someone quickly explain what Scar's madness was all about? Who was plotting what?"

Huria stood up. "Sarabi, please tell them what happened; I will go keep guard outside the cave and will warn you if anyone comes snooping."

Sarabi nodded and the lionesses gathered around her, looking very curious.

Karanga paced around uneasily, but decided to stay and listen to what her pride-mates had to say.

The Pride listened as Sarabi voiced out loud what everyone else was fearing already. The lionesses actually found Huria's plan intriguing and worthy of consideration if things got worse around the Pride Lands, but as Huria had expected, Karanga did not agree.

"We can't just leave him, we have to support our King in good times and bad times! What we need to do is persuade him to come with us somewhere where food is less scarce at the moment! Has anyone thought about that possibility?" Karanga said, looking shocked.

Sarabi sighed. "If he comes, the hyenas will follow. There is just not enough food here to feed such a big group! We need to split and move to different areas like it used to be, Karanga. Or do you really think he's going to tell the hyenas not to follow?"

Karanga hesitated for a moment. "We'll never know if we don't talk to him," she finally replied, "Look, I know Scar might not be the best King you've seen, but you have to understand, he was never taught how to be one. He's learning along the way and he needs our help every now and then. Even Kings who have been taught well made mistakes; you can't expect Scar to be perfect. I think that just sneaking out and leaving the pride without saying anything is not right, considering that he's been good and respectful to you. He even spared a cub, for crying out loud!"

The lionesses remained silent for a moment, while Sarafina and Mahali exchanged a quick glance.

Huria, who had been listening to their conversation from the entrance of the cave, replied, "Nice of you to judge us, when you yourself thought about leaving the Pride to spare Scar from Thembi's anger management issues. And, we barely saw you when you vanished into thin air without a word, to protect your own cubs when Mufasa took over the throne, only to bring them back when they were old enough to be spared. Why is that different to what we're trying to do now, other than the fact that we're trying to involve the whole Pride, unlike you did? We might have other reasons, but they are as valid as yours were back then."

The lionesses gasped, as no one had ever confronted Karanga about this. They looked at her expectantly, while Huria simply stared into the distance, still keeping guard.

Karanga looked at her, with sadness in her eyes. "You are right, on both counts. Many times I thought about leaving Thembi, as I could not stand the way he treated his own son, but I stayed after all, because Scar needed the Pride's protection, and I was the Queen. I could not simply run away from my responsibilities here. So I decided to stay and make the best of it."

Karanga paused for a moment, but went on after she gathered courage again. "I don't have much to say in my defense for trying to protect my daughters. When Mufasa took over and a new Queen came along, I was then free from my duties, and could raise my two cubs in solitude for a while. I am sure no one here holds that against me, besides you, Huria."

The lionesses remained quiet but nodded in agreement. They actually thought what Karanga had done was very brave. Mufasa had a good heart but any other lion could have easily punished her by hunting her and her cubs down. Mufasa had not been pleased with her disappearance, but being his adoptive mother, in the end he quickly accepted Karanga back into the Pride, along with her two daughters, who were then old enough to be spared.

"Does anyone else have anything to say on the matter?" Karanga asked, recovering her composure, but the lionesses shook their heads. "Then I'd like to return to the topic at hand: no King is perfect, no matter how well they were taught, and as you can see, neither Thembi nor Scar were the exception."

The Pride remained silent as they recalled how things used to be during King Thembi's reign, and how they usually had to walk on egg shells to prevent him from firing up.

Sarabi spoke up. "Scar could start a new pride with Ndani and Zira's group. He doesn't need all of us, Karanga. And right now, we are doing what _we _think it's best for the Pride and our cubs, just like you did what you thought was best for Scar and your daughters back then. The only difference is that staying is not the right option now, we actually have to leave. There might not be many predators around to hurt the cubs, but dying from starvation is just as bad, or worse."

Huria sighed deeply. "You're all forgetting one thing, though," she growled slightly, "Scar's certainly not fond of the idea of any of us leaving. It is quite clear by the measures he's taken. He could have told us to get out of here and scram, but instead he's tightened his grip on us."

Shada looked around for a moment. "Tahlili and I do get along well with some of the hyenas... Perhaps we could strike a deal with them? Ask them to cut us some slack?"

Tahlili turned to her. "But we spend most of our time with the young ones, I don't think they will be escorting anyone..."

"They are not that young anymore, I am quite sure they would love to prove themselves as a good escort. I think I could talk them into it..." Shada replied thoughtfully.

"It would certainly help, having some hyenas on our side, but so far they all seem to worship Scar," Sarafina added.

"Not all of them," Huria said, "that hyena with the torn ear seems to be a pain on Scar and Shenzi's ass. It might be worth a shot trying to talk to her, and see where she stands..."

"I'd be careful if I were you, for all you know she'll run to Scar and tell him we're still up to something..." Sarabi said, still not trusting the hyenas at all.

"Yeah... I hope we can figure it out somehow..." Huria replied. She glanced towards Karanga, who had gone very quiet since she had mentioned Thembi and her brief disappearance. For a moment, Huria felt bad for bringing it up, but she felt she had to do it to get her point across.

They were silent for a moment, but Sarabi broke the silence when she addressed Karanga unexpectedly. "Please don't consider this a threat or anything... We know for sure that we need to keep Ndani out of this, but you understand that we also need to know where we stand with you..."

Karanga looked up and stared at the inquisitive faces of her pride-mates. "How can you possibly ask me that? You're basically asking me to tear myself in half!"

"Just think about it," Sarabi said, "I guess we can still get by, the way things are going now. But if things get worse, then we will have to make a decision, and we will need to know whether we can count on you or not..."

"Basically, we need to know whether we need to exclude you from our discussions, for fear that you will rat us out with Scar," Huria said bluntly.

Sarabi frowned at Huria's lack of tact, but she knew that that was basically what every other lioness was wondering. Still, she tried to soften the statement up a little bit. "We love you dearly, Karanga, and we look up to you, please don't get us wrong. But we also understand what Scar means to you. If you want to take his side on this, we won't stop you, but then we will have to leave you out of our plans. However... We would really, really like you to come with us."

Karanga looked at them with a sad expression. "What you ask of me is terribly difficult... I can't give you an answer right away. But you don't have to worry, I promise you I won't tell Scar anything that has been said tonight. I won't-"

"Ndani's coming," Huria interrupted, "Let's leave it at this. Thanks, Karanga, we trust you won't say anything."

The lionesses were oddly quiet the moment Ndani walked in, something the lioness picked up on.

"Um... hi," she said uneasily, "You guys okay?"

The lionesses nodded, and Ndani could feel and smell the tension in the air. She knew it had to do with Scar's statements earlier that morning, but she was unsure how to address the situation.

"Where's the King?" Huria asked coldly, "We brought food."

"Oh... He's with Zira, they will be gone for a few days. Feel free to start eating..." Ndani replied.

"Just great, more mouths to feed in the future..." Huria thought, but kept it to herself.

The lionesses stood up and headed towards their catch and began eating. Sarafina went to wake up Nala so that she could eat too, and once they all had had their fill, the mothers started nursing their young cubs in complete silence.

Ndani ate a little bit, but she felt quite disturbed by the tense atmosphere. She tried breaking the ice as she addressed the Pride. "You know... About this morning... If there's something buggin' you guys, I could talk to Scar about it, ya know? Maybe I can help?"

"Thanks, Ndani," Sarabi replied quickly, before Huria had time to reply something rude, "but we've learned our lesson and we're not talking about Scar behind his back anymore."

Ndani hesitated for a moment, but added, "As Queen you can talk to me about things, ya know. I've been able to solve some disputes with some other animals, maybe I can do the same here."

Huria was quicker than Sarabi this time. "Unless you can send the hyenas packing, make it rain and produce herds out of thin air, then spare yourself the trouble, there is nothing you can do."

Ndani gave up and went to lie down on the King's plateau, looking upset and worried. She looked up startled when Karanga walked past her and whispered, "Thanks for trying, dear, but tonight's not a good time, perhaps if you ask them again some other time..."

Ndani nodded silently and watched Karanga leave the cave. Ndani could tell something was up and that the lionesses were hiding something from her, but she took Karanga's advice and left them alone for the rest of the night. Instead, she tried to catch some sleep, and tried hard not to think about her upset pride-mates, or about what Scar might be doing right then. She just sighed deeply as she wished she had come into season first.


	14. The Male Cub

_Chapter 14_

**The Male Cub**

Ndani was awakened by a ray of sunshine warming up her face. The lioness stirred and shook herself. She had spent the past couple of nights outside with the Outlanders, as the atmosphere in the cave was still very tense, and none of the lionesses seemed keen to speak to her about Scar, or about anything else for that matter.

Ndani opted for keeping her distance until they calmed down, and spent her time with Kahawia and Njano instead. Zira and Scar would be returning any time soon now, and she looked forward to seeing him again.

While Ndani groomed herself, Njano woke up as well, and tried to stand up slowly. Her leg was doing much better, and she carefully tested it, to see whether she could put some weight on it now.

"Hey, look at this, I can stand up easily now!" Njano exclaimed, looking excited.

Ndani grinned. "What do you think, can you make it to the waterhole?"

Njano walked around in circles, to see if the pain was too strong. "If we do it slowly, I reckon I can do it..."

Ndani nodded and went to nuzzle Kahawia to try and wake her up. "Hey, we're going to the waterhole, wanna come?"

Kahawia looked up sleepily and shook her head. She smiled as she nuzzled her cubs. "They'll be demanding to be fed soon, so I'll feed the little monsters first, and I'll go drink sometime later."

"Okay, see ya later!" Ndani said, and she left, followed by Njano. They walked rather slowly, but with high spirits.

"I swear I thought I'd never walk again... I'll have to do something nice for that Rafiki guy one of these days. What do you think he likes best? Impala? Zebra?"

Ndani laughed. "He ain't into that, I'm afraid. He'll be happy with some insects though..."

The lionesses laughed and talked animatedly, until they reached the waterhole. Their smiles froze, as they saw how much the water had receded.

"Darn... at this rate it'll be dry in a coupla weeks..." Ndani whispered.

"Even faster, if everyone keeps coming to drink here... Is there another water source nearby?" Njano asked as she looked around.

Ndani nodded. "There's another hole, but further away, I don't think you can make it all the way there. So we might as well drink here now, and hopefully by the time we need to travel further, your leg will be better."

Njano nodded and bent down to drink, wincing slightly, as her leg still hurt in certain positions.

Ndani drank too, as she glanced at the sky every now and then. There were some clouds in the horizon, and she hoped they'd bring some rain along the way.

Once they had quenched their thirst, they headed back to Pride Rock, but Njano started limping slightly again. "Heh, I think I was too enthusiastic, I might have overdone it..." she said, grimacing in pain.

"Hang on, we're almost there. Just a bit longer, and then you can rest all day if you want."

When they finally reached Kahawia, they found out that Zira and Scar had also returned in the meantime.

Njano flopped on the ground and tended to her wounded leg, while Ndani went to greet Scar enthusiastically.

"Hey, you're back! Good thing too, I was just starting to miss you," she said as she nuzzled the lion's mane.

Scar greeted her in return, and looked around. "So... anything happened while I was gone?"

Ndani shrugged. "If it did, I wouldn't know. No one but Karanga speaks to me lately."

Scar chuckled. "I bet they don't like it that you get to go on and about without an escort. They're probably just jealous."

Ndani eyed Zira, who was lying down next to Kahawia and appeared happier than she had ever seen her. The lioness must have been exhausted because she fell asleep quite deeply not long after.

"Are you going to sleep too?" Ndani asked Scar.

Scar had to admit he also longed for a nap. "Will you join me?"

Ndani nodded and followed Scar into the cave. As soon as they walked in, the lionesses that were still inside looked at them and left without saying much, other than a 'good morning' that sounded rather insincere.

Scar ignored them, still feeling quite hyped after the days he had spent with Zira. He settled down on his plateau and allowed Ndani to lay down and rest against his chest.

"You seem rather content... I take it all went peachy?" she ventured to ask, before he fell asleep.

Scar nodded. "And you were right, too. She's finally accepted that she also has feelings for me."

Ndani remained quiet, and Scar glanced down at her. "This doesn't change anything, Ndani, you know it," he said as he wrapped a paw around her, to reassure her that he had no plans of ditching her for Zira.

"Still... Feels weird, me being here, when I know you probably are wishing it was her instead."

"I would have invited _her _over, if that was the case," he said firmly, but then added with a cheeky grin, "although sharing this plateau with the two of you doesn't sound like a bad idea after all..."

Ndani grinned and slapped him with a paw playfully. "Ya ain't makin' any sense now, must be your sleep deprivation. Have a nap now."

Scar settled down and rested his head on the plateau, and fell asleep shortly after.

Ndani, who was not sleepy at all, simply lay there, enjoying his company and daydreaming about better times ahead.

* * *

><p>Shada stood up on the promontory, scouting the terrain. She managed to spot the Trouble-Makers not far from there. The lioness took a deep breath and descended from Pride Rock, nodding towards her pride-mates as she made her way towards the hyena pack. They whispered 'good luck' softly and watched her leave with worried faces.<p>

Shada made her way resolutely through the groups of hyenas that were lounging lazily, and ignored their calls as some of them yelled with a mocking tone of voice, "Hey, need an escort, kittycat?"

Shada finally reached the Trouble-Makers, who appeared to have grown twice in size from the last time she saw them.

"Hey guys! Long time no see!" she greeted.

Mashavu looked up and smiled. "Hey! Yeah, s'been ages! We don't need no babysitters no more, so we've been goin' to the lake on our own, ye see."

Shada nodded and sat down next to her. "I figured as much... You guys are huge! I bet you can take on those crocs all on your own now."

The hyenas chuckled. "There ain't that many crocs left, but, yeah, I reckon we could mess 'em up good!"

Shada cleared her throat. "Hey, listen, I was wondering... I guess you're all familiar with Scar's new rules... and I was wondering if you lot would like to become our official escort."

Mashavu frowned slightly. "Us? Why us?"

"Well... if we're going to be followed around by hyenas, it might as well be the cool ones," Shada replied with a smile.

"Quit pullin' our leg, what's the real reason?"

Shada could tell that they were no longer the young naive pups she once knew, and that useless flattery would not get her anywhere far at this point, so she opted to come as clean as possible. "Well, I've gotten to know you lot better than any other hyena through our trips to the lake, so I just thought it would be nicer to have you guys around, than some random hyena we don't know and who keeps getting on our nerves."

Mashavu looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess I could ask around... I'm not promising anything, but I'll see what I can do."

Shada smiled sincerely at the hyena. "Thanks, Masha, I look forward to hanging out with you guys again more often in the future."

Mashavu grinned. "Yeah, we kinda missed ya too."

Shada left them, hoping that the Trouble-Makers could arrange becoming their escort. That would be the first step of their plan. If successful, the lionesses would attempt to gain the young hyenas' trust and confidence, and make them see, when the time comes, that the Pride Lands are doomed, and that they, hyena-escort included, all need to leave.

The lioness returned to Pride Rock and nodded silently at the rest of the Pride. They didn't question her further, and simply went on about their usual business.

"Sarafina, I heard from Mahali that you'll start Nala's hunting training soon?" Anasa asked, looking at the young lioness who was growing up quickly.

Sarafina nodded. "Yes, it's about time, I just hope the hyenas won't get in our way."

Nala looked at them excited. "I can't wait, sounds like a lot of fun! I don't mind taking care of the little ones though, but I'd also like to learn all that stuff you do during the hunts..."

"You will soon, dear," Sarafina replied as she beamed proudly at her daughter.

Sita looked up as she noticed someone flying above them. "There's Zazu... I wonder if he's got good news for us..."

The hornbill landed amongst them, looking tired and ruffled. "Good day, everyone," he said, as polite as always.

"Please tell us you saw some herds nearby, please..." Sarabi asked him.

Zazu let out a deep sigh and shook his head. "There's a few stray zebras to the south, but that's all I could see." He looked at the lionesses sadly and went on, "I also found out why the wildebeest are late... it turns out they avoided the Pride Lands due to the huge amount of hyenas around here, and they chose a different path to migrate. I think we can now say for sure that they won't be coming, at all."

The lionesses looked at each other in dismay, as they had hoped that the wildebeest migration would increase their chances of a good hunt.

"This looks worse and worse, girls..." Sarabi said, sighing loudly.

Zazu nodded, "I think even the rogue lions are avoiding the area, I haven't seen one in quite a while. Word must have spread that anyone who gets close to the borders will be swarmed by the pack..."

"Have many rogues actually attempted crossing?" Sarafina asked.

Zazu looked away in disgust. "About four, that I know of... They were only walking nearby. So far none of them had even made an attempt to invade the Pride Lands, but still they perished, thanks to the hyenas."

"How do the hyenas know where the rogues are?" Sarafina wondered.

"Scar had asked me to keep an eye on the borders, so I made the mistake of notifying him about one rogue," Zazu replied uneasily, "but after I saw the result, I decided not to report any more rogues to him, unless I actually saw one trying to invade. But Scar has so many hyenas patrolling the borders nowadays... It doesn't matter if I report anything or not, they always find the rogues first, so it seems."

Sarabi sighed. She hadn't really pictured a heroic lion to come to their rescue, not with that many hyenas around. But to hear for certain that the borders were impenetrable, she realized that their plans to escape were more difficult than they anticipated.

Karanga stood up, knowing that the lionesses had not changed their mind about Scar, and she still hadn't figured out how to deal with this. She was torn between her pride-mates and her adoptive son, and the struggle was killing her.

"I'm going for a walk, I'll see you later," she told them, wanting to be alone to think for a while.

The lionesses simply nodded and watched her leave, wondering when Karanga would finally make a decision.

As Karanga walked, she descried Rafiki's tree in the distance, and decided to have a talk with him, perhaps he could put her mind at ease.

Karanga walked thoughtfully but was distracted when four hyenas flanked her. "Hey, Scar's mom," one of them said.

Karanga appeared startled for a moment, she didn't know this particular group of hyenas, but apparently they all were aware that she had raised Scar as her son. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Just followin' Scar's rules, ma'am," the hyena replied, not sure if the rules applied to Karanga too, but he decided not to take any chances.

Karanga nodded and continued walking silently, not paying attention to the chattering hyenas behind her. When she finally reached Rafiki's tree, she turned to the hyenas and asked them politely, "Would you mind waiting here? I need to speak to Rafiki in private."

The hyenas looked at each other, confused. "But Scar said-"

"Do you really think I'd be plotting something against my own son? Besides, he didn't say that you had to listen in to my private conversations, he simply wants to you to make sure we don't leave the Pride Lands."

The hyenas pondered for a moment and whispered amongst themselves, and finally nodded in approval. "Okay, we'll wait for ye here then..."

"Thank you," she said sincerely, and walked towards the tree. "Rafiki?" she called.

The baboon peeked down from his tree, and saw Karanga and the hyenas nearby. He climbed down and whispered, "So it is true, that you're being escorted everywhere?"

Karanga sat down on her haunches and nodded, making Rafiki frown slightly. "Listen, Rafiki, do you have some time? If you're busy I can come back later..."

Rafiki shook his head. "No, no, tell me, what brings you here?"

Karanga looked over her shoulder and saw that the hyenas appeared to be distracted by the scent of something nearby. They were now digging around in the ground, trying to find the source of the smell.

"I need your wisdom, Rafiki... I couldn't think of anyone else to talk to."

Rafiki sat down and crossed his legs. "Fire away, dear."

Karanga lay down on her four legs, to be more at his level. "As you probably heard already, the Pride is rather unhappy about the way my son is handling things, and they want to desert him. They want me to come with them too, but I cannot leave my son behind just like that..."

Rafiki scratched his beard thoughtfully. "Do you agree with the Pride?"

Karanga shrugged. "To a certain extent... but I think they are being too rough on Scar. To make matters worse, he found out about their plans and since then the relation between him and the lionesses has taken a turn for the worse. They barely speak to each other, and he spends most of his time with the Outlanders. And it was going so well... I had hoped, with the arrival of the new cubs, that we could have a warm, stable Pride... But it's all crumbling to pieces, right in front of my eyes."

"It's difficult, Karanga..." Rafiki said, "Your son needs a lot of guidance to rule the Kingdom, but that's not really the problem, I am quite sure the Pride would be quite supportive. But they are afraid of what the future holds for them, and I can't blame them. They know what's happened in the past when hyenas were allowed into the Pride's territory, and they are simply getting prepared for the worst."

"But what am I to do? Preparing for the worst would be like giving up on Scar, and I have no idea how he would take that... I have faith in my son, and I know we can all pull through this if we work together, only it seems like the Pride has lost all faith in him."

Rafiki smiled at her and caressed her forehead gently. "Well, if there is someone he looks up to, and whose opinion matters to him, that's you. I am sure he will listen to you in a way he wouldn't listen to any other lioness."

Karanga looked at him. "I think he doesn't want me to talk about it. I've tried to initiate the conversation but he switched topic every time. If only I could make him see that giving the lionesses their freedom back would make them think twice about the kind of lion he is..."

"I guess Hatari did inherit some of his father's stubbornness, after all."

Karanga let out a soft chuckle. "I suppose I'll just have to keep trying..." She stood up and nuzzled the baboon gently, thanking him for his time.

Rafiki bid the lioness goodbye and watched her leave, followed by the hyenas, whose muzzles were now tainted with blood, after having eaten whatever burrowing critter they had managed to find.

He tried to concentrate on the brew he was mixing before Karanga arrived, but her visit left him feeling rather uneasy, and he kept glancing towards his potion ingredients instead. He wished he could help and guide Scar and the lionesses further, and he just had an idea that might work.

He pushed the brew aside, and reached up for some leaves, hidden behind some of his ingredients. He found the strand of Scar's mane hidden between two of the leaves, the strand that he had saved from the last time the lion had asked him to look into his future.

Rafiki took a deep breath, and mumbled a few unintelligible words, and held the strand of hair tightly in his fist. For a moment nothing happened, but a sudden gust of wind made his tortoise shell spin slightly. The baboon nodded to himself, filled the shell with water and placed the strand of hair in it.

"I'm ready..." he muttered, and looked into the shell. He stared deeply as he also tried to listen to any spirits attempting to communicate with him. It was obvious to him that someone had signaled him to use the shell, so he expected that a spirit was nearby. As signs started appearing on his shell, Rafiki concentrated harder, trying not to miss a thing. The shell wasn't very explicit this time, Rafiki could only see that there would be a lot of struggle in Scar's future, as well as a lot of emotional and physical pain. He could not determine what would cause it, as the water in the shell became agitated by another sudden gust of wind.

"Who's there? What are you trying to tell me?" Rafiki asked as he closed his eyes. He felt very calm all of a sudden, and could detect a very familiar scent, one he had not smelled in a long time.

"Mufasa..." Rafiki muttered as he opened his eyes. He could not see the lion, but he was absolutely certain that Mufasa's spirit was present. Rafiki closed his eyes again and concentrated harder, until he was able to hear Mufasa's voice inside his head, a bit distant, but clear and understandable.

As Rafiki listened to Mufasa's spirit, his eyes became moist and tears streamed down his face. He didn't speak at all, all communication was now going through his mind only. But the baboon was visibly shaken, he was trembling slightly, and the water in the shell became so agitated that some of it even poured down the shell's edges.

The water calmed down after a while, and Rafiki took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and stared at the shell in disgust.

Rafiki started muttering to himself out loud again. "Ah, my dear Mufasa... I finally understand... Poor Karanga will be so heart-broken when she finds out... I mean, she'd jump over fire for him... If only she knew..."

At that point, the wind ruffled his hair violently. "I know, I know!" Rafiki yelled as he smoothed down his hair, "You said I shouldn't tell anyone, and I trust you when you say that he will have to face the consequences of his actions eventually. I will just wait for your sign, like you told me. By the way, perhaps you could be more explicit on this one? What kind of sign?" he asked, looking around his tree.

But the wind died down and the scent of Mufasa seem to fade as quickly as it came. Rafiki slapped himself in the forehead and said, "With all this commotion, I forgot to ask if I could say hi to little Simba..." but he received no further reply.

The baboon picked up the shell and looking very angry and disappointed, he poured all its contents, including Scar's strand of hair, down the tree.

* * *

><p>As time passed, Zira had started showing the signs of being with cub, but unlike the other lionesses, she didn't feel the need to go to Rafiki for confirmation. On the contrary, she was completely sure that she was pregnant, and went to Rafiki for much needed relief instead. Her body was already reacting nastily towards the the cubs, making it painfully clear that this would be another difficult pregnancy after all.<p>

Rafiki could confirm that she was expecting at least two cubs, and he provided her several remedies, from herbs to combat the morning sickness, to pain killers to soften the cramps, but there were days when the pain and discomfort were so great that she could not even stand up to eat.

Scar knew from Ndani's stories that Zira had had problems before, and he was worried that she would have another miscarriage again. As such, he kept constant guard on her, while Ndani took care of bringing food for her, since Zira was in no state to hunt.

Zira tried to reassure Scar that everything would be all right, but despite his and Ndani's care, and the improved living conditions, Zira still came into labor one month too early, and she lost all hope.

Ndani looked at her, distressed. "Oh no... Scar, I think the cubs are coming! It's too soon, she ain't due yet..." she said as she watched Zira writhing in pain.

Scar looked at Zira feeling rather helpless, which angered him. "Zazu! Get Rafiki here, right now!" the lion demanded, and the bird took off quickly, hoping it was not too late for Zira and her cubs.

As they waited, the Outlanders tried to comfort Zira, telling her to be strong and to hold on, help was on the way.

Zazu returned with Rafiki not long after. Although he had not been far away, Rafiki still could not do anything to stop Zira from going into labor; the birth was rather imminent.

"What is wrong with her, Rafiki? Please help her!" Scar said, sounding genuinely worried.

The baboon heard him, but decided to ignore Scar completely, and focused on the agonizing lioness instead.

"Please, everyone, give us some space, get back!" Rafiki ordered, and the onlookers retreated.

The lionesses and Scar kept their distance, as Rafiki tried to find out more about Zira's condition.

"This was not your first pregnancy, am I right?" Rafiki asked her.

Zira shook her head. "It's my third... Same thing happened before... I had hoped now... would be different..." she growled between deep breaths.

"You're bleeding terribly, my dear, I'm worried about you as much as about the cubs," Rafiki admitted.

"I'll be fine... Focus on them..." Zira said, and within the next few minutes she brought a still-born cub into the world.

Rafiki sighed deeply and looked sadly at the limp body of the extremely small cub, a tiny lioness that didn't get the chance to see the light of day.

"Is... Is it alive?" Zira asked, panting and crying from pain.

Rafiki shook his head and placed the cub next to her. "No, Zira. I'm sorry..."

Zira sighed and flopped on the ground, her eyes tightly shut as tears streamed down her face. But all of a sudden, she felt another contraction and her face contorted in pain.

"The second cub?" Rafiki asked, drying her face gently with his hand.

Zira nodded. "I feel I'm being ripped apart..." Zira groaned, and used the last of her energy to push as hard as she could.

"Keep going!" Rafiki exclaimed, "Just a bit more, it's almost out..."

Zira's body relaxed unexpectedly as the lioness passed out from the pain. But Rafiki was able to help the cub out; it appeared to be a bit larger than the first one.

Rafiki glanced quickly at Zira, to make sure she was still breathing. Having confirmed that the lioness was only unconscious, he focused on the cub for now, cleaning it gently and checking for any signs of life. He held the tiny cub on the palms of his hands, and could see it moving slightly, its little chest rising and falling. "It's a male... and it's alive..." he announced, as the lionesses and Scar sighed in relief.

Rafiki looked around and spotted Kahawia and her cubs nearby. "You... Could you please take him and see if you can nurse him? In the meantime, I'll try to wake Zira up..."

Kahawia nodded and tended to the cub, while Rafiki looked in his pouch for a plant that he crushed with his fingers. He held the crushed leaves close to Zira's nose, and the lioness slowly came around, looking dazed and confused.

"What happened... The cub..." she mumbled, her mouth feeling as dry as sand.

"The second cub is alive, Kahawia is taking care of him now. Now we can only hope that he'll make it..."

Zira let out a deep sigh. "You called it a he... It's a male..."

Rafiki nodded, and Zira smiled proudly, being the first lioness to provide Scar with a male cub.

"Try to rest as much as you can now, your cub is in good care for now. I'd also suggest that you try to avoid becoming pregnant again, seeing as this keeps happening every time... You lost a lot of blood, and you and your cubs might not be this lucky next time."

Zira nodded slowly, "I hear ya... This one felt much worse than the previous times... I had never passed out like this before..."

The lioness watched quietly as Rafiki dug a hole on the ground and buried the body of the small female cub in it.

"Did you already have a name for her?" Rafiki asked as he worked on the tiny tomb, but Zira shook her head.

"I thought I still had enough time to think about one..." she admitted.

Rafiki patted her softly on the head. "Get some sleep now, I will go check on your cub."

"Let me see it..." Zira asked, trying to crane her head up, but she had no energy left.

Rafiki nodded and motioned Kahawia to come closer.

Kahawia sat down by Zira's side and placed the now clean cub in front of her. "He's had some milk too, but not much..."

Zira stared at the cub, and realized he didn't look anything like Kahawia's healthy babies when they were born. Instead, he was quite small in comparison, lanky and weak-looking. His fur was dull and scarce.

"He doesn't look too good..." Zira said, not daring to admit that she felt slightly revolted by the sight of this under-developed cub.

Kahawia shrugged. "It was to be expected. He was not due yet and he still had some growing up to do... But with some love and care, he'll get better, you'll see." She turned to the little cub and cooed, "You just need to be strong and drink your milk, don't you, little one..."

Zira took a deep breath and looked away from the cub, closing her eyes. She opened them again when she felt someone coming closer. It was Scar, who had received the green-light from Rafiki, and he finally approached and sat down next to her, to take look at his newborn son.

"I'm sorry..." Zira said as her eyes teared up in a mixture of sadness and anger, "I'm sorry I could not give you a healthy cub, worthy to be the King's son..."

Scar looked down at the sickly-looking cub and sniffed it gently. The cub reacted to his warm breath and shifted slightly, laying one of his tiny paws on Scar's nose as he did so.

"It's not your fault," Scar said as he looked up again, focusing on Zira, "These things can happen... I'm just glad you both are okay. Let's just hope he'll be strong enough to survive."

Kahawia took the cub again to try and nurse him once more, and Scar tried to comfort Zira by nuzzling her tear-stained face.

"Rafiki says you need to rest... Go to sleep now, don't worry about him."

Zira nodded, hoping to find some relief once she fell asleep, as her body was still very sore and in pain. She saw Scar standing up but before he could walk away, she whispered, "Hey... What will you call him?"

Scar looked at her over his shoulder and replied, "His name will be Mnanuka, named after the late father of three good friends of mine..."

Zira nodded, but she said nothing else. The lioness rested her head on the grass. She was so tired that she never noticed when Ndani and the Outlanders sat by her side to groom her and clean her matted fur.

Scar wanted to thank Rafiki for his help, but to his surprise, the baboon had left already without saying a word. Scar figured that maybe Rafiki had other matters to attend to, but he found it strange all the same. The baboon didn't even congratulate him, but Scar assumed in the end that given the cub's condition, perhaps congratulations were not in order.

Scar lingered near the Outlanders in case Zira needed any help, and The Pride-Landers in the meantime returned to the cave, feeling relieved that at least one cub had made it through the ordeal. While they still had not built a bond with Zira, the lionesses still felt bad for her. No lioness should have to go through that, friend or not.

"And to think this has happened to her three times already, can you imagine?" was one of the hushed observations exchanged between the mothers in the Pride, once they had settled down back in the cave.

Despite the somber atmosphere at Pride Rock, Mahali had a hard time trying not to laugh at Sarafina, who was suddenly being bombarded by Nala with questions about cubs and where they came from.

The young lioness had been rather impressed by the dramatic scene she had just witnessed, and swore never ever to have cubs. In the end, Sarafina excused herself and took Nala to the southern ledge of Pride Rock, for a private mother-and-daughter talk that would hopefully dispel Nala's fears, and satisfy her curiosity on the topic.


	15. Fighting the Predictions

_Chapter 15_

**Fighting the Predictions**

The next few weeks were accompanied by some downpour. Not the usual amounts the lions were used to around this time of the year, but every little bit of water was welcome. They were so happy when the slight rainfall came, that even the adult lionesses joined the young cubs in a game of tag as they frolicked around in the rain.

The Pride-Landers also felt quite relieved when Zazu confirmed to the lionesses that some herds had settled outside the boundaries of the Pride-Lands. They tried to keep this information from the hyenas, hoping that the herds would not scatter when they noticed so many predators around. Their tactic might have worked, if it hadn't been for the fact that the lionesses were still being escorted everywhere.

The hyena escort saw the herds too as the lionesses went hunting, and it was not long after that several hyena hunting parties headed the same way in search for food.

Shada hadn't heard anything from the Trouble-Makers yet, but she kept hoping that once they got them on their side, that the situation would improve for the lionesses.

In the meantime, it had been a rather stressful time for Zira and Scar, seeing how their cub was struggling to survive. Still, little Mnanuka held on to dear life. He was still rather weak and spent most of the time sleeping. Cubs his age were already more curious and reactive to their surroundings, but Mnanuka did nothing but sleep, and would barely eat.

One morning, Zira had sat down next to Kahawia, who was nursing her own cubs. Zira placed Mnanuka between her legs, but stared longingly at Kahawia's healthy, strong lionesses.

"Hey... How's the little one?" Kahawia asked, glancing lovingly at the small cub.

"Same as usual... I'm surprised he's lasted this long, to be honest. Out there in the Outlands he'd been toast in a day."

Kahawia frowned. "Don't say that! Anyway, I think he's past the critical stage... Now we just need to make sure he keeps on eating, like Rafiki said."

Zira nodded and looked down at Mnanuka, who was resting peacefully. "Should I try to groom him again?" she wondered out loud.

Kahawia appeared thoughtful for a moment. "I guess you can always give it a try..."

Zira hesitated, as her first attempt to bathe and groom the tiny cub had resulted in a screaming fit, proving that at least Mnanuka's lungs and vocal chords were pretty much in order.

The lioness sighed and settled down, embracing the cub between her front paws and licked his head a couple of times, tentatively.

Mnanuka opened his eyes and looked around drowsily for a moment.

"So far so good..." Kahawia said, as she also started grooming Jasiri, while Malaika waited patiently for her turn.

Zira shrugged and continued licking her own cub just as Kahawia was doing. But not long after, Mnanuka started struggling and tried to free himself from her embrace.

"See? He's starting to put up a fight again..." Zira said between licks, which now made the cub whimper.

Kahawia looked at Zira's cub with curiosity. "Maybe you should stop..."

Zira shook her head. "Nonsense... He needs to get used to this; he can't just go on about his life looking all unkempt and dirty. He's the King's son, after all."

Kahawia smiled to himself, as she still remembered the time when Zira didn't care about what any King would think of her, but she was clearly quite devoted to Scar now, even though she wasn't officially the Queen.

Zira kept on grooming his head and ears, but Mnanuka's whimpering turned into deep growls, as he struggled harder to free himself. Eventually he yelped loudly, and bit Zira suddenly on one paw.

It was not a hard bite, but it startled Zira all the same, and she released her grip on him.

Mnanuka was still quite slow and uncoordinated when it came to walking, but he tried to make a hasty retreat all the same, tripping over his own paws, and finally went into hiding behind Kahawia's body.

"Did you see that? What got into him?" Zira said, looking angry and frustrated.

Kahawia laughed slightly. "I guess he really dislikes baths... Maybe we should ask Rafiki, just to be sure. He said he'd pop by to check on Njano's leg..."

Zira nodded and rested her chin on her paws, as she stared with a puzzled expression at Mnanuka's tail, sticking out from behind Kahawia.

When Rafiki came by to check on Njano, Kahawia called him over.

Rafiki greeted them warmly. "Your friend's leg is almost healed, but she still needs to take it easy. So no hunting, no matter how much she begs you to join in the party, okay?"

Kahawia and Zira nodded, as they both knew Njano was all too eager to resume her old way of life, but she was not ready yet.

"Hey Rafiki, we had one question. It seems Mnanuka just can't stand being bathed... Zira has tried twice and he's made quite a fuss over it. We were just wondering if it's just him being bratty, or if there is more to it that we can't see."

Rafiki tilted his head. "Oh? Let me see..." he mumbled as he bent over to pick Mnanuka in his arms.

The cub didn't struggle at all, but growled slightly when Rafiki patted him gently on the head.

"Hmmm..." Rafiki mumbled as he examined him carefully, "when was the last time you groomed him?"

"Just earlier today, a bit after sunrise..." Zira replied.

Rafiki looked more closely and could see through Mnanuka's thin and meager fur that his skin looked rather red and irritated. It was even bleeding slightly on the area behind his left ear.

Rafiki put the cub down gently and turned to Zira, "His skin seems to be very sensitive. Your tongue is too raw on him and it makes him hurt and bleed. Maybe it's because of the lack of hair to protect his skin, or you were too enthusiastic in your grooming..."

Both Zira and Kahawia shook their heads.

"I saw her myself, she was grooming him just fine," Kahawia said, "but what you say makes sense, Mnanuka only started squirming after Zira had licked him a few times..."

Zira let out a loud, exasperated sigh. "So what am I supposed to do then? How can I keep him clean if I can't groom him normally? Just a few licks won't do!"

"Maybe we could ask a hyena to do it?" Kahawia suggested.

Rafiki shook his head. "Their tongues are rough as well, I'm afraid it will irritate him all the same... Instead, you could try cleaning him with some water by the lake."

Zira grunted, feeling more and more disappointed in her cub. "Fine... I'll give that a try."

Kahawia could sense the frustration in Zira, and decided to join her in her trip to the lake, as moral support, but also to make sure the cub would be all right.

"Thanks Rafiki, see you around!" Kahawia told him, and left with Zira and the cubs.

Rafiki waved goodbye, and couldn't help smiling slightly. These strangers had made themselves at home really well, trusting him with the lives of their cubs, and thriving despite everything else going on under Scar's reign. He often wondered lately what the lionesses would do once the truth came out, but he had kept his promise to Mufasa, and didn't reveal to anyone that he knew Scar was more than met the eye.

* * *

><p>One day, late in the afternoon, Scar had returned from doing his rounds, and noticed Zira lying down on her own, while their son ran around her, chasing and batting at her tail.<p>

He grinned slightly, seeing how the cub was doing better, despite his rough start. However, Scar was very much aware that the cub had a very poor health. Zira already had made several trips to Rafiki's tree, due to Mnanuka's infected eyes, his sneezing and coughing, and tons of parasites that Zira could not get rid of as she was still not allowed to groom the cub the usual way.

Mnanuka in the meantime loved being around his mother, and even tried to stay put through a grooming session just to please her, but it was still a very uncomfortable feeling and Zira gave up in the end, seeing how Mnanuka kept changing positions and struggling.

Scar approached them, and as he got closer he could hear their conversation clearly.

"Not the lake again! Do we really have to?"

"Yes, if you want to get rid of those fleas. And you're starting to smell, too."

The cub ran around in circles, trying to catch a whiff of his own scent. "I smell nothing..."

"Trust me on this one, you smell. I wonder why your father didn't name you just Nuka instead."

The cub just laughed in response and rolled around on the ground playfully, while also trying to calm the itching from the fleas.

Zira looked up and noticed Scar approaching. For a moment, her face instantly brightened up at the sight of him, but then she looked away, as if embarrassed by Mnanuka's playful display.

Scar sat down next to them, and any animal passing by could have easily mistaken them for a happy family. But the truth was that Zira still didn't feel very attached to her cub, and Scar knew that the chances that Mnanuka would make it to adulthood were rather slim. A cub like him would not be able to rule in his place, he thought, so he hoped for a healthy heir instead. But Scar kept his thoughts to himself.

"Father! Mother says you should've called me Nuka!" the cub said, laughing innocently.

Scar raised an eyebrow. "She does, huh? Well I'm afraid that the nickname quite suits you right now," he added as the pungent scent of the ungroomed cub hit his nose, "your smell could chase all the hyenas away, you know."

"I already told him we're taking a trip to the lake today," Zira replied, "no excuses."

Scar wanted some time alone with Zira, so he sent the cub away for a while. "Hey, 'Nuka, I think I saw a gopher by those trees, why don't you go try and find it?"

The cub looked around enthusiastically. "Where? Where?"

Scar pointed in a random direction, and the cub ran off, trying to pick up the trace of the nonexistent gopher.

Scar looked at Zira, who appeared a bit tired. "He's quite a handful, huh?"

Zira nodded. "I think he's making up for those first weeks he spent sleeping. He's got so much energy all of a sudden and can't concentrate it on one single thing."

"You know you can always ask the sitters to take care of him in for a while, and have some time for yourself. He can also blow some steam off with the other cubs, he might be less hyper then."

Zira shifted position slightly and snuggled closer to Scar. "He played with Kahawia's daughters, but they complain he's too rough. He drew blood during one of his games and now they don't want to play with him that much."

They spent some time in silence, just leaning against each other and enjoying each other's warmth.

Zira eyed him for a moment, and noticed he appeared to be worried about something.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him.

"Well... I came here to warn you that I'll be gone for a few days..."

Zira blinked for a moment and sat up straight. "Oh... Who's going with you?"

Scar sat up too and stared at the horizon. "Ndani is. We're leaving tonight."

Zira looked away for a moment. "Heh, Ndani... Finally. Took her forever, hmm?"

Scar nodded. "I still think she's terrified about this, but we'll see how it goes."

The lioness remained quiet after that, staring at her cub in the distance.

"You're not jealous, are you?" Scar asked her jokingly, trying to break the ice.

She looked him in the eye and replied, "To be honest, yes, I am."

Scar was taken aback by her response, but she went on, "She will be with you, in a way I'll never be able to be with you again. Not unless I want to risk my life and bring more unhealthy or dead cubs into this world."

Scar looked away, as he knew the lioness was right. "I know it's hard, Zira. I myself have thought about that often lately. It'll be extremely hard to resist not being with you when the time comes again. But at least you got the cub you wished for, right?"

Zira frowned. "The cub I wished for? I wanted a healthy, strong cub, worthy of following on your footsteps! What I didn't want was a weak, parasite-ridden, excuse for a lion that will probably not reach adulthood anyway-"

"Zira!" Scar interrupted her, but she went on, pouring out her frustration on him, not realizing that Mnanuka had returned and was listening to her every word, his little face frozen in shock.

"...and I wonder if it wouldn't have been better if he'd followed the same path of his sister to begin with-"

"Zira, that's enough!" Scar ordered, and she finally hushed, feeling surprised at Scar's sudden commanding tone of voice. It was until then that she noticed her son, standing behind her, and who had started to sob.

Scar's expression was sour as he walked past Zira and tried to comfort the weeping cub, in his own, distant way.

"Don't listen to her," Scar said, sitting next to Mnanuka and patting the cub's head a couple of times, "Your mother's just angry because I'm about to go away for a few days, and she doesn't like that. She didn't mean anything she said."

The cub looked at his mother through tear-stained eyes.

Zira was looking back at him rather sternly, but eventually her expression softened. "Scar is right, my little Nuka, I didn't mean any of it. I'm sorry you had to hear that."

Mnanuka nodded and padded up to Zira's side, feeling relieved that she hadn't meant those nasty things she said. But he could still sense that she was rather upset, and the cub tried to cheer her up. "I'm... I'm ready to go to the lake now, if you want, mother..."

Zira gave him a rather small, insincere smile. "Run along, Nuka. I'll be right behind you."

Mnanuka, nodded and walked ahead slowly, glancing backwards to make sure he hadn't strayed far enough from Zira.

Zira turned to Scar, who appeared rather serious and distant.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away," she said through clenched teeth.

Scar looked at her with a coldness in his eyes that Zira had never seen before. It shocked her slightly.

"I said I was sorry!" she repeated.

Scar looked away and muttered, "Those were exactly the kind of things my father used to say to me. Words like that can mark a lion forever, Zira."

The lioness looked away, not knowing what to do or say.

"Don't talk about him like that again, ever. Promise me," he whispered.

Zira turned to him and muttered back, "I can't help it, it's the way I feel, Scar... I feel cheated."

"I guess I cannot change the way you feel about him, but remember this: it is _not _his fault. You and I brought him here, and regardless of his abilities or his looks, it's our job to protect him and make sure he gets by. So keep your nasty remarks about him to yourself."

Zira nodded and turned around. She felt angry at herself for having upset Scar, but she also didn't like his attitude.

"Fine. Go to your Queen now, see if she can lighten up your mood a bit," Zira growled, as she headed in the direction her cub had taken.

Scar ignored her remark and walked away, feeling rather upset at the way Mnanuka -now Nuka- had stared at his mother. He knew the feeling all too well, and it was as if he had been transported back in time, watching Karanga and Thembi fight over him, only this time it was the lion defending the cub, while the lioness berated him.

He shook his head and tried to calm himself, hoping that he'd be less tense by the time he reached the meeting point where Ndani would be waiting for him.

* * *

><p>Nuka had tried to make some small talk on their way to the lake, but it was clear his mother was not in the mood for chitchat. The cub got the message and remained quiet for the rest of the journey.<p>

Once they reached the lake, Nuka looked around, making sure there were no crocodiles or other dangerous animals nearby, and he dived into the water, all by himself. Usually it was Zira who had to push the cub in, resulting in much whining and protesting, but today, Nuka did it without putting up a fight, hoping it would help restore Zira's good mood. He didn't like to see her angry.

"Look mother, I'm washing behind my ears, all by myself!" he told her, trying to cheer her up.

Zira looked at him and eventually gave in, and helped him with his bath. "That's very good, Nuka. You're growing up now, so soon you should be able to do this on all your own."

"But I still can't reach my back..." he said, pulling a face as he tried to reach up with one of his front paws.

Zira said nothing, but rubbed the cub's back and rump with her paw gently, removing the dust and caked mud, and hopefully some of the fleas.

Once he was done with this bath, Nuka climbed out and shook himself. He licked himself dry as best as he could, since he could measure better whenever his own tongue would cause him pain.

Zira waited silently, as she gazed thoughtfully at the horizon.

"I'm done!" Nuka said after a while.

Zira turned to him. Nuka looked even uglier and pathetic, with his scarce, moist fur clinging to his skin. She sighed deeply and picked up the cub with her mouth, and carried him back, so that he wouldn't get dirty again on the way home.

"Mother..." he asked, as he dangled from Zira's mouth.

"Hmmpfh?"

"Can we take a nap when we're home? I'm kinda sleepy..."

"Hmmhmm," came Zira's muffled response.

The cub sighed, and looked forward to curling up against her and warm himself up. The wind on his moist fur made him rather chilly and he started shivering not long after.

* * *

><p>Ndani was waiting for Scar, feeling rather nervous. While her body was signaling her to look forward to this, she was still a bit scared, and didn't know what to expect.<p>

Scar arrived eventually, still looking rather flustered, but determined to focus all his attention on Ndani for now.

"Hi there," she said timidly, "everything okay?"

The lion simply nodded, not wanting to spoil the mood of the moment. "Come with me," he said, "I know of a place where we won't be bothered."

The lioness followed him, hardly believing that the time had come at last.

"It's a beautiful evening," she said as she looked up at the clear sky, "don't you agree?"

"Charming," replied Scar, barely glancing up.

Ndani looked at him, feeling a bit puzzled. She said nothing more and quietly followed Scar, as he led her to a rock formation. It was a lot smaller than Pride Rock, but with a cozy cave, big enough to fit two lions.

Ndani looked around. "Heh, I've been around this area a hundred times and never knew there was a cave!"

"I came across it while on patrol once. I had picked up a trail, and since I felt like a snack, I followed it. It led me here..."

Ndani sat down in the cave. "And what did you find? Did you get your snack?"

Scar nodded. "It was a young monkey; she had fallen off a tree and broke her legs, and crawled all the way here. I think she was even happy when I relieved her from her pain..."

"Poor thing," Ndani said, but so was the Circle of Life.

Scar settled down on his belly and waited for Ndani to take the initiative, just like he had done with the other lionesses before her.

Ndani in the meantime knew it was up to her to initiate the mating, but just couldn't get past her fear, and for a moment she even regretted asking Scar to come.

The lion looked at her with curiosity, unaware of Ndani's inner struggle, but when the lioness sat there silently for several minutes, he wondered whether she had gotten cold feet.

Scar stood up and sat by her side. "Still not quite ready for this, are you?"

Ndani turned to him and looked into his eyes. "I am dying to be with you, Scar, you have no idea how much. It's the possible outcome that petrifies me. What if I'm... you know, like Zira?"

"Why would you be? As far as I know, your mother had you three without a problem, and your two sisters both had normal pregnancies and bore healthy cubs... You won't know for sure until you try."

Ndani took a deep breath, trembling slightly from nervousness.

Scar pondered for a moment, and while he knew it was up to her to decide when to mate, he tried to help her make up her mind. "You're focusing too much on the future," he whispered softly in her ear, which made her shudder slightly.

Scar stood up and rubbed his body full length against hers. "Can't you focus on tonight instead? Just you and me, and no one else."

Scar's actions had the desired effect, and Ndani submitted almost right away to his affections. As they made love for the first time, Ndani's worries faded to the background, and realizing that it wasn't as scary as she had thought, she finally let go of her fears and allowed herself to enjoy the moment.

Scar, in turn, had expected this night to be just like the nights he had spent with the other lionesses, excluding Zira. But there was something about Ndani and the way she gave herself to him, whispering words of love that the other lionesses in season never spoke, not even Zira, that made this night extra special after all.

He was now well aware that Ndani still had deep feelings for him, but he simply could not return the feeling. Scar cared for her, there was no denying that, but while they shared a close bond and enjoyed each other's company, it didn't compare to the way he felt when Zira was around. Still, Scar tried his best to focus on Ndani tonight, and not to think about Zira too much.

Late in the night, as they lay next to each other, resting and gazing up at the stars, Ndani asked him, "So, will you finally tell me why you were so upset when you came to pick me up?"

"Why ruin the moment?" he told her.

"So something _did_ happen," she replied, looking at him with curiosity.

Scar grunted slightly. "It was something that Zira said to Nuka. It reminded me a lot of the things my father used to say. But I really don't want to talk about it right now."

Ndani nodded. "I know what you mean..." she said, having already seen how distant Zira could be with her son at times. "By the way, did you just call him 'nuka'?" she asked, grinning slightly.

Scar chuckled. "Zira came up with that, since the cub was very smelly and he didn't want to bathe. But he seemed to find the nickname funny, so I'm afraid it's going to stick. Anyway, Zira took him for a bath at the lake after I left..."

Ndani smiled for a moment. "Soon you might have to think of a new name and nickname for an upcoming cub," she said, sounding less scared of maternity than she did a few hours ago.

"Not just any cub, but the heir to the throne," Scar added, as he tried to paint a picture of the future prince.

They lay there for quite a while, discussing how much they were looking forward to what the future would bring, and continued to enjoy spending time together, while Ndani wished this moment would last forever.

* * *

><p>When the King and Queen finally returned to Pride Rock a few days later, it was with high spirits, and Scar felt in a much better mood. He only hoped that Zira would keep her promise; he himself would make sure that Nuka didn't have to go through what Scar had to endure as a cub.<p>

As they reached their lair, Ndani looked around and she spotted Njano and Kahawia lying nearby, but Zira was nowhere to be seen.

"She's in the cave," Kahawia explained, after Ndani inquired about Zira's whereabouts, "Seems the cub caught another cold and Sarabi offered them to stay in there, to keep him sheltered."

Ndani frowned, and turned to Scar, who looked a bit worried. "Wanna go check on him?" she asked.

Scar simply nodded in reply.

Trying to ignore the two lionesses' curious giggling, the King and Queen headed towards the cave, rolling their eyes and casting a smile at each other.

They eventually found Zira, lying down in a far corner of the cave, keeping a watchful eye on the lionesses that were in there.

Nuka lay next to her, trembling slightly and looking rather miserable.

Zira looked up when she noticed Scar and Ndani approaching. "He's got yet another cold," she said shrugging nonchalantly, as if this was now a usual, daily occurrence.

"We heard. He seems to have a fever too, he's shaking a lot," Scar replied, as Ndani inspected the sick cub closely.

"Rafiki thinks it's those baths at the lake, his health just can't take it. So he'll have to put up with the usual grooming from now on, whether he likes it or not."

Scar nodded and sighed slightly. Without saying anything else, he headed to his plateau, looking thoughtful.

Ndani watched him leave; she could tell something was bothering him. The lioness then turned to Zira and Nuka again. From the looks on their faces, it was obvious that they could use some cheering up too. She knew that Zira and Scar hadn't parted in a friendly way the last time they saw each other, but Ndani had an idea that she thought would help them all feel a little bit better.

"Hey, Zira, maybe we can help warm Nuka up," she said.

Zira looked up, as Ndani motioned with her head for her to follow.

The Queen padded up to the King's plateau and sat down next to Scar.

The lion lifted his head and looked from Ndani to Zira, as he perked his ears up, expectantly.

"Well, come on," Ndani insisted, and Zira gave her a small grin.

Zira got up, content to be able to lie down next to Scar. In her excitement, she picked Nuka up a bit carelessly, making the cub complain for a moment. She then lay down next to Scar and Ndani, and placed Nuka right in the middle. The cub quickly settled down between the three of them, and enjoyed their warmth immensely.

Scar smiled gratefully at Ndani, and lay on his side, while the two lionesses snuggled close to him and rested their heads on his chest and belly.

With both his favorite lionesses resting by his side, Scar felt life could not get any better.

* * *

><p>Although the Pride-Landers had raised an eyebrow when they found the royal plateau occupied by two lionesses, Zira and Ndani continued sharing it with Scar ever since then, not really caring about what the rest of the pride would think.<p>

Karanga had explained that it was unusual, but not unheard of, especially if the Queen allowed it. But the lionesses were still rather resentful, especially since they still didn't consider Zira and her group as part of the Pride.

In the meantime, Nuka had recovered from his cold, but he still look rather disheveled, despite trying to make a big effort and not complain during the painful grooming sessions.

Zira kept her promise to Scar, and she did her best to take care of Nuka and teach him the ways of the lions. Zira had discovered that Nuka was not a very fast learner either, but he tried very hard, hoping one day his mother would be a bit satisfied with his progress.

One day, as Zira and Nuka walked by the acacias during a stalking lesson, Zira spotted Ndani sitting under the shade of the trees, having a talk with her sister Sarafina.

"I can go with you, if you want. You don't have to do this alone, you know," she heard Sarafina say.

Zira tilted her head and wondered if everything was okay.

"Thanks, but it ain't necessary, I can do this on my own."

Zira watched as Ndani stood up and headed off in the direction of Rafiki's tree. It was then when the lioness realized that Ndani should have already been showing the signs of upcoming cubs, but the Queen still looked as thin as she did before spending time with Scar.

Zira couldn't hide a mean chuckle that escaped her without thinking. "Well, well... If she isn't with cub... You might need to study harder, Nuka. You never know..."

Nuka stared up at his mother, not understanding a word she said. "I'll work harder, mother," he replied nonetheless.

By the time Ndani returned to Pride Rock, it was evident that Rafiki had confirmed what Zira had suspected; the lioness had obviously been crying. Finding out that she was not pregnant came as a big shock to her, now that she had finally prepared herself mentally for the task.

As she broke the bad news to Scar, he tried to calm her and to reassure her, telling her they'd just need to try again. But in the inside, the lion was seething, as he suddenly remembered the dream in which Thembi came to him and told him his descendency was doomed.

Scar excused himself and went to find a place where he could be on his own for a while. Making sure there were no lionesses or hyenas nearby, he stared at the sky and growled, "This is what you meant, right? Female cubs only, an infertile Queen, and a lioness who loves me, but could only bear a sickly male cub for me... So this is your way of getting back to me, for what I did to your _beloved_ son, right, father? Well, I still regret nothing, you hear? Nothing!"

Scar looked down for a moment and hissed, "As much as you tried to erase my existence, I'm still here... If Ndani can't give me an heir, I am sure one of the other lionesses eventually will. Pride-lander or not, I'll pick the first healthy male that is born, to follow in my footsteps. I will not be forgotten, father, mark my words."

The lion turned around and left, not noticing how the wind had picked up on the spot he had been sitting. It was like a sudden whirlwind that lifted the leaves and dust off the ground, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.


	16. Scar's Concerns

_Chapter 16_

**Scar's Concerns**

It was late at night when two hyenas had gotten together by the depleting waterhole. They were having a heated discussion about the situation in the Pride Lands.

"I know, I know, but it doesn't make any sense," Asani said, "Think about it. They've asked for a bunch of young, inexperienced hyenas to be their escort. Doesn't that sound fishy to you?"

Mashavu, the young leader of the Trouble-Makers gang, looked away and shrugged. "If the lionesses wanted to harm us, they would have done so already, they've had plenty of chances. Like I said, they just felt it would be nicer to be with hyenas they can sorta get along with, ya know?" Mashavu told her.

Asani rolled her eyes. "The whole point of assigning escorts to the lionesses was meant as a punishment, not to have _fun_ while _hanging out._"

Mashavu grunted and sat on her haunches, looking disappointed about not getting her way.

Asani glanced at her and sat nearby. "I'm sorry, I hate to say it, but I'm sidin' with Shenzi on this one. It sounds like the lionesses are up to no good, and you and your mates ain't old enough to defend yourselves if all lionesses decide to turn against you."

"So what do I tell Shada?" Mashavu asked.

"You don't need to tell her anything. I believe Shenzi's gonna take this matter into her own paws."

Mashavu looked at Asani, fearing she might have gotten her lioness friend in trouble.

"Is she gonna rat Shada out to Scar?"

Asani shook her head. "From what I understood, her posse will be escorting the hunting party from now on. Shenzi wants to see if she can figure out what the lionesses are planning."

Mashavu nodded and started to lick one of her paws nonchalantly, but stopped when she noticed Asani was staring at her. "What is it?"

"Since you get along so well with the lionesses, I was wondering if that friend of yours has told you anything about what they were planning, and you're just keeping it from me."

Mashavu frowned. "That kinda sounds like you're questionin' my loyalty or something. Shada hasn't told me nothing, and that's that. Besides, what I discuss with them ain't none of your business."

Asani looked her in the eye. "We might not be related by blood, but my mother took you in, so that makes what you do my business. I'm just makin' sure you'll let me know, if the lionesses confide in you."

Mashavu kept eye contact for a long time, but eventually looked away and muttered, "First things first, you ain't my older sister, no matter how much you try to fill that role. But fine, if that's all it takes to get you off my back, I'll let you know if Shada tells me anythin'."

Asani grinned to herself, ignoring Mashavu's hurtful remarks, as she was used to them already. "Good. I'm goin' back now now, I'll talk to you later, and stay out of trouble, Trouble-Maker," she said, and wandered off in the direction of the rest of the pack.

Mashavu remained by the waterhole for a bit longer. She was smart enough to realize, due to Asani's passive-aggressive attitude, that she might have awakened certain suspicions on the older hyena. Mashavu had never even contemplated betraying her kind, but she had to admit to herself that she hadn't considered either the possibility of Shada asking her for help to escape. But all of a sudden, Shada's request made a lot more sense to her.

"If they wanna leave, why not let 'em?" she thought, not fully aware of what their departure would mean to Scar.

After pondering for a moment, the hyena decided to return to the pack and pretend her conversation with Asani didn't happen. Mashavu was dying to speak to Shada, and ask her what her intentions were. But she knew that it would arise more suspicions if she went to look for the lioness straight away, so the hyena decided to wait a bit longer, perhaps even just sending a message through Zazu or another messenger.

The hyena located her friends and went to join them. They greeted her enthusiastically, and she smirked to herself when she saw Asani arriving not long after. Mashavu was sure the older hyena had stayed behind to spy on her, and was glad that she didn't go to look for Shada after all.

Asani simply walked past her without a glance.

* * *

><p>One evening, as the sun started setting, the lionesses began getting ready to go in search for food, but they were surprised to see that their escort this time consisted of Shenzi and her siblings.<p>

"So much for having your mates as an escort..." Huria whispered in Shada's ear.

Shada looked at the group of hyenas nearby and groaned. "I keep hoping one day the Trouble-Makers will show up... Not today I guess."

Nala in the meantime looked at the huntresses enthusiastically. "Oh, how I wish I could go with you guys already..."

Sarafina smiled at her. "Remember you'll have to pass the exam first, before you can go on your First Hunt. You must be patient, my dear."

"Is baby-sitting all these new cubs getting tiresome?" Sita asked the young lioness.

"It's not that," Nala replied, "I like that very much. But it's not as exciting as the hunt... Besides, mom says I'm good at it, I don't know why I can't join in yet."

"You will soon, if you keep on practicing and doing the wonderful job you've been doing so far. But in the meantime, you will have to keep an eye on the cubs just a little bit longer," Sarabi told her. She nuzzled Nala, and then turned away, guiding the hunting party away from Pride Rock. The hyena escort followed them closely, looking tired and annoyed.

Mahali and Anasa stayed behind with Nala, who despite her disappointment at not being able to hunt yet, had already started a game of hide and seek with the cubs. They were now quite swift on their paws already, and loved running around chasing each other.

"They grow so fast, don't they?" Anasa smiled.

"They do," Mahali replied, "it still feels like yesterday when Rafiki confirmed that I was with cub..."

The lionesses kept reminiscing as they watched over the playing cubs, and neither of them noticed Nuka, who was approaching them slyly from behind.

"Boo!" he yelled loudly all of a sudden, making the two lionesses jump slightly.

"Don't do that! You scared us good!" Mahali chided him, but eventually started to laugh, feeling rather silly for not having noticed Nuka sneaking up on them.

"Sorry..." Nuka said, smiling meekly, "Mother taught me how to stalk the other day, so I thought I'd practice a bit..."

Anasa chuckled. "Well, good job, I'd say. We didn't hear you coming at all."

Nuka smiled proudly, wishing Zira had been there to witness his successful attempt at stalking. The cub looked around and his smile was replaced by a frown. "By the way, have any of you seen her anywhere?"

The lionesses thought for a moment.

"Hmm, not since this morning," Anasa replied, "Last time I saw her, she was walking away, along with the lioness with the limp."

"Oh, yeah," Nuka said as he sat down on his haunches, looking disappointed. "They said they might go the baboon... Aww, man. I wanted to come too... He's funny."

Mahali looked at the sad face of the dusty cub and couldn't help but feel some pity for him. "If your mom's gone, who's babysitting you?"

"No one, I guess... I just woke up from a nap and saw everybody was gone."

Anasa frowned, as Nuka was still not old enough to be left on his own. "Well, you better stay close, where we can keep an eye on you, until your mom returns."

Nuka nodded and sat down right next to them. He immediately started scratching himself on several places.

Mahali took a deep breath, her motherly instincts screaming at her to take care of this unkempt cub.

"Hey, Nuka, come here for a sec," she said.

When Nuka got closer, she gently picked him up by the scruff of his neck and placed him between her paws.

"Oh, no, please... Don't..." Nuka pleaded, as he squirmed and tried to get free.

"No, no, no! It's okay, don't worry, I won't lick you, I promise."

Nuka stopped struggling and looked up at the lioness with uneasiness.

"Just relax, little one," Mahali said, and she started to lick her own paw instead, moistening it slightly. She then used her paw to try and clean Nuka a bit, just as she would clean her own face and ears if there was no one else around to groom her.

Nuka sighed in relief when he realized there was no pain coming from the soft paw rubbing against his body, and it was not long after that he lay there, rolling on his back with his legs up in the air, completely at ease and relaxed.

Anasa joined in eventually. The new cleaning method was not as effective as the usual grooming, but it still helped, and Nuka enjoyed it greatly, for a change.

He was so relaxed that he had drifted away on a light sleep, but was awaken suddenly by an angry roar, coming from Zira, who had returned from her visit to Rafiki.

"What are you doing with my cub?" she snarled at the Pride Landers.

"We're just cleaning him a bit," Mahali replied, "If you don't like him hanging out with us, perhaps you shouldn't leave him alone in the first place!"

Zira growled at her. She came closer and roughly snatched Nuka with her muzzle, out of the lioness' gentle grasp.

"Ow!" Nuka complained, but became very silent rather quickly, when Zira tightened her grip on him. She turned around and left the Pride Landers alone, without any further explanation.

The lionesses watched her leave and kept an eye on her, to make sure she wouldn't punish the cub for having gone to them.

But Zira simply lay down and started grooming Nuka the usual way, while the cub tried to stay put, looking a bit helpless.

They could still listen to a bit of their conversation in the distance, as Zira told Nuka, "What have I told you about leaving the den? Next time you find me gone, you stay there until I return, is that clear?"

Mahali sighed and focused on her own cubs, still playing nearby. "I'm still trying to figure out what Scar sees in that lioness. I'll never get it..."

"They must have something in common, I suppose..." Anasa replied, "but yeah, I can't say she's a charming one. Her friends are a lot nicer though. I had the chance to talk to Kahawia the other day, and the cubs even played together."

"Even then... I still don't see them as part of the Pride," Mahali replied, "and sometimes I even feel the same way about Ndani. She has strayed further away from us, don't you think?"

"True... I also agree with Huria in that sense; if we were to put her plan of leaving the Pride Lands into action, most likely Ndani and the Outlanders would remain behind with Scar."

"And what about Karanga? Any idea already where she stands?" Mahali asked.

Anasa shifted her weight, looking worried all of a sudden. "I have no idea... She's been very quiet lately and hasn't said anything about coming with us or staying behind."

Mahali nodded. "I guess she finds this a lot more difficult than we do. She's raised Scar as her own son, I can imagine it's not easy for her. But her desire to help and protect the pride is quite strong too."

"All I know is that I wouldn't like to be in her place..."

The lionesses went quiet for a moment, but then became distracted when the cubs came back, running and telling excitedly about all the games they had just played with Nala, and demanding to be fed.

* * *

><p>Scar was doing his rounds, looking rather sour. It was obvious that the once beautiful Pride Lands were losing their splendor; the land had started to look dull and dry. The scarce rainfall that they had during the past few weeks was not enough to make new grass grow, and this was keeping most of the herds away.<p>

Only a few impalas and gazelles remained, but according to the lionesses, and now the hyenas too, they were becoming harder and harder to locate.

Even the hyenas have started complaining, Scar thought bitterly. Those who knew no better than the elephant graveyard now dared to complain about the state of the Pride Lands, as if they had lived there the whole time. It made him rather upset, especially since he could do nothing about the weather conditions.

But what bothered Scar the most, was knowing that his lionesses would not hesitate in abandoning him, without an explanation, especially when he thought he had been a good, open-minded King so far. Scar had not been the same since that night he overheard Sarabi's conversation with Huria. He was now suspicious of everyone, and became rather snappy if anybody mentioned how the territory was deteriorating.

"What would they have done if Mufasa had been the one having to fare through this drought? Would they have abandoned him too?" he told himself, but he knew the answer already. Mufasa would have left Pride Rock, it was as simple as that. But to Scar, Pride Rock meant everything.

In his eyes, leaving the Pride Lands was almost like admitting defeat; accepting that he was indeed not capable of being a King and ruling this land. As such, he was determined to stay, and he would not allow the lionesses to desert him in such a cowardly fashion as they had initially planned.

Another thorn dug deep into his heart was the fact that the lionesses were not coming to him anymore to request assistance during their season. He knew at least two of them had sneaked away from the Pride for that reason, but none of them came to him.

He even thought that they had wandered off to meet with a rogue, but the hyena escorts confirmed that the lionesses had simply looked for solitude, and remained alone the whole time.

Scar wondered about that, and Zira explained to him that if the lionesses felt it was not a good period to bear cubs, they were less likely to request mating. They probably didn't feel like bringing cubs into the world, only to have them die months later from the lack of food and water. The Pride-Landers were more focused on fending for themselves and for the already existing cubs, and they knew for sure that adding extra mouths to feed would be a terrible idea at this point.

Thus, Scar's desire for a healthy heir to the throne was still unfulfilled. Fond as he was of Nuka, Scar had noticed how the cub had very little attention span and found it very hard to focus on his lessons. He was still not sure if Nuka could be suitable to inherit the throne, just in case Ndani failed to provide him with any male cubs. For now, Nuka was too young to be troubled about his future, and Scar refrained from mentioning to him the burden that could eventually fall on Nuka's shoulders.

Scar was distracted from his thoughts when he heard the sound of rustling bushes behind him. As he turned, he saw Karanga heading his way.

Scar couldn't help but smile slightly, as he had the feeling that even his own adoptive mother had been avoiding him lately. The lion was genuinely glad to see her, and he could certainly use her words of wisdom.

"Hello," Karanga said, smiling at him, "the hyenas told me I'd find you here."

"Hello, mother," he replied, "It feels like I haven't seen you in forever."

"I'm sorry, son, I didn't mean to be this distant. I've just been missing my mother and... just, feeling a bit down. You know how I tend to stray and walk away when I'm sad. You probably remember it from when you were younger, as I often took you along with me for long walks."

Scar nodded, remembering those walks very well, usually after she had had a row with Thembi. He lay down on his belly, and Karanga followed shortly after.

The hyenas that had escorted her kept their distance, but Scar sent them away with the wave of a paw.

He waited until they were completely alone, and asked her, "How about now, are you still feeling down?"

Karanga smiled slightly and nodded. "Just a little. I... I'm finding it a bit hard to find my place in the Pride at the moment, you know?"

Scar tilted his head. "You? Why would you say that? Everyone respects you and looks up to you."

Karanga hesitated, but decided to be honest with Scar. "They were not happy when I scolded them for even thinking about leaving the Pride. Ever since then, they've been acting rather distant."

Scar frowned. "You scolded them?"

Karanga nodded. "I was as shocked as you were when I heard what Sarabi and Huria were planning. But since I took your side, I think they've been holding back whenever I'm around. Something changed that day, son. It's been driving me insane."

Scar let out a deep sigh, feeling grateful for Karanga's support, and at the same time, angry at the lionesses for making her feel like an outsider in her own Pride, just because of her loyalty to the King.

After pondering for a moment, the lion ventured to ask, "What do you think, Mother? Is leaving the only option we have?"

Karanga sighed. "If the rains don't come soon, it could be. However, leaving is not as easy as they make it sound, dear. By abandoning Pride Rock, we're submitting ourselves to all the other dangers out there. Most likely we would be walking into other Pride's territories, and I'm afraid they won't be very welcoming during this period of drought and famine."

Scar listened intently as he stared into the distance.

"It's not a matter to be considered lightly," Karanga went on, "and I wish the younger lionesses could see that. If something were to happen to you, due to a territorial dispute, the cubs will be massacred for sure. They are not old enough to be of interest to a potential male and leader, and I doubt anyone else would show the mercy you once showed to Nala."

Scar closed his eyes and rested his chin on his paws, thoughtful.

"However... There is another option, but not one I think you'll consider right away," she whispered.

Scar looked at her. "Sending the hyenas back to the Graveyard?"

Karanga looked at him. "Oh... So you've considered it after all?"

Scar clenched his teeth for a moment. He knew it would be the end of his reign if he did that; the hyenas would certainly tell everyone willing to listen about what Scar had done to get to the throne.

"I've thought about it, but I can't do that. It was a promise I once made to them," Scar finally said, "If I send them back now, I am quite sure that they will put up a fight, and in case you haven't noticed, their numbers have doubled. We wouldn't stand a chance."

Karanga nodded. She hated to admit it but she knew he was right. Besides, it was too late to send them back, the damage to the Pride Lands had been done already.

"We need to find a way to restore the balance... But before that, all we need is rain," she said, looking up to the sky, as if pleading to the Kings of the Past for some help.

Both lions remained silent for a moment, but Karanga broke the silence, as she asked hesitantly, "I know what the hyenas mean to you, son... But... If things get worse, would you be willing to come with us, and leave the hyenas behind?"

Scar looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Let them have the Pride Lands," she went on, "that way you're not breaking any promises you made to them. We'll look for fortune elsewhere, but it is imperative that they don't follow. Otherwise we will be forced to over-hunt again and the circle will repeat itself all over again."

Scar looked away, becoming a bit distant all of a sudden. "Thanks, I will keep your suggestion in mind."

Karanga looked at him for a moment. "I know for sure that the lionesses are willing to stick with you, but only if you make sure the hyenas stay here."

"We'll see," Scar replied curtly.

Karanga could feel she had touched a sensitive subject, and decided to change topic. "By the way, how's Ndani doing? Is she feeling better?"

Scar took a deep breath, "I'm not sure, I think she's been avoiding me lately out of shame or something. It hit her rather hard, for someone who had been terrified of having cubs until recently..."

Karanga nodded. "You have to understand, it's not only the disappointment she felt in herself, but also the disappointment she'd cause you. I know she was looking forward to giving you the heir you want so much. You two will just have to keep trying..."

"She knows I'm in for it, I'm just waiting for her to come to me," Scar replied.

Karanga went very quiet for a moment, as she too had had difficulties in becoming pregnant when she was with Thembi. She didn't feel the need to share this information with Scar, but perhaps she'd look for Ndani and see if she could help her out a bit.

"I'll be heading back now," she said, feeling that Scar was no longer in the mood for talking, but the lion stood up too and stretched a bit.

"I'll walk with you," he said.

Karanga smiled and headed back to Pride Rock, remembering her walks with Scar as a cub. As they walked back, she tried to encourage him that everything would work out with Ndani in the end, and not to lose hope. Scar appreciated her words of comfort and hoped that she would be right.

They parted ways once they reached their lair; Karanga headed to the cave, and Scar went to check on the Outlanders. He found them resting nearby, but Ndani was not with them.

The three lionesses greeted Scar, while Jasiri, Malaika and Nuka ran to him, frolicking and batting at his tail playfully.

"Girls, settle down," Kahawia chided her cubs, as Scar swished his tail from side to side, out of the cubs' reach. The little lionesses then started chasing Nuka and teasing him for being slower than them. They ran off to play under the shade of the trees.

"That's far enough, don't go any further, okay?" Kahawia yelled at them.

"Okay, mom," the lionesses replied, and lingered nearby as they played.

Kahawia let out a deep, content sigh. "I never imagined it would be so energy-consuming, having to take care of cubs... Sometimes I feel more tired than when I come back from the hunt!"

Zira nodded in agreement, and she felt taking care of Nuka alone was twice as hard.

Njano looked at Scar, who was a bit distracted, his mind still on the conversation he just had with his mother.

"Hey, Scar, everything all right?" she asked.

Scar turned to them and nodded quickly. "Yes, of course. I was just wondering..."

The lionesses perked up their ears and listened to him.

"You have traveled a lot, and know exactly what it is like to try and settle down somewhere else. Let's say... If we were to leave this place, in search for food, would we stand a chance?"

Zira frowned. "Define 'we', please."

"I mean you lot and the Pride Landers, of course," Scar replied, sensing some hostility coming from her.

The lionesses looked at each other. They were not as keen to leave as the Pride-Landers, as they had lived through harsher conditions than this.

Zira finally replied, "It depends. If we were all to work together as a group to defend ourselves and we only meet a rogue or two, we definitely stand a chance. But if we encounter a whole pride of lions out there, it's going to be tricky. Not to mention that there's too many cubs, and leaving now would mean putting them all in danger."

Scar swallowed. "The other lionesses seem to think that the cubs are doomed anyway. They're willing to take the risk, as they feel that right now finding food is more important."

Zira rolled her eyes for a moment. "There's still plenty of food if you know where to look. You'll just have to be less picky..." she said, as she eyed a group of passing hyenas.

"We're not hunting them, Zira. It's part of our agreement. They don't attack us and we don't attack them," Scar warned her.

Zira turned to him and gave him a small grin. "Don't worry, Scar. I wasn't planning on doing such thing."

Scar looked away, still unsure about what to do.

Kahawia cleared her throat and said, "The biggest problem I see is that once you leave, it might be hard to claim this land back, if you want to return. Chances are another animal or pride might move in, and you'll have to fight for the land that was once yours. I'd be rather hesitant too, if I had to give up this awesome place, as battered as it looks now."

Scar nodded, fearing once again that leaving the Pride Lands would be admitting defeat, as well as his failure as ruler of this land. He couldn't stand the thought of it, and it blinded him, not allowing him to see what a good ruler would actually do in this situation.

"Well, if I have your support, and you think we can get by, then we'll stay for now," he told them.

The lionesses nodded. "We've been through worse, and we still got by. Granted, this drought's been quite bad, but it's not like the Pride Lands is the only dried out place right now. Check out the borders, they don't look any better..." Zira added.

The cubs returned at that moment, looking content, but a bit tired from all the running around. They quickly settled down next to their mothers, feeling thirsty and looking forward to drinking some milk.

Nuka was a bit more hesitant than the other two cubs, fearing that he'd be groomed after getting all dusty from playing, but Zira didn't bother cleaning him. Nuka grinned to himself and just rested his weight against her tummy, falling asleep shortly after.

Scar stood up and left the lionesses tending to their cubs, and decided to search for Ndani. He hadn't seen her in a while and was starting to get worried. He went to check out the gorge but the lioness was nowhere in sight. He sat down for a moment, trying to think of places she might have gone to, and eventually he went out to check the secret place he had taken her a few months ago, where they had spent some time alone together.

He felt relieved when he found Ndani there, lying inside the small cave, all by herself.

The lioness appeared to be sleeping at first, but she stood up quickly when she heard someone approaching, looking around in alert. Surprisingly enough, she didn't look any more at ease when she realized it was Scar.

"There you are, I've been looking all over for you," he said as he came closer.

Ndani looked away, embarrassed. "Just wanted some time on my own..."

"I figured that, but you've been gone for days, we were starting to get worried."

The lioness stared at the ground, unsure of what to do or say. She knew it was only a matter of time before Scar found out why she had left to spend some time alone, and she didn't know how he'd react.

"You really need to get over this, Ndani," Scar said, trying hard to sound patient. "We can just try again when the time comes, and see if we have better luck."

Ndani stood up and walked away from him.

He watched her go, looking puzzled. He decided to follow her, but Ndani growled slightly.

"Please, just go back... I want to be alone," she said through clenched teeth.

Scar was taken aback, not understanding why she was so angry all of a sudden. He tried to come closer again, but she bared her teeth at him once more. It took him a few seconds to realize what was going on. Ndani was in season again, and she had decided to keep it from him.

"I see," he replied, looking rather cold and distant all of a sudden. It was obvious that he was upset that she didn't come to him.

"I'm just not ready for another disappointment so soon, okay? I need some time! I didn't expect to come into season again so quickly..." she snapped.

Scar looked at her through narrowed eyes. "You came into season because you want cubs. You want to try again, so I don't understand why you're making things more difficult for yourself."

Ndani looked away, struggling with her feelings, torn between wanting to slap him right on the face, or giving in to her instincts and allow him to mate with her. His presence didn't make it any easier for her, she liked him so much and she really wanted to try again, just not now.

Scar sighed. "It's not a problem, it does not matter anymore. Take all the time you want. For your information, I've decided that I will make the first healthy male cub born into the pride my heir, so that _burden_ is off your shoulders. You can be at ease now."

With that, Scar turned around and walked away.

Ndani's eyes opened wide. "Scar, no, wait!" She ran after him, but he kept on going.

"Scar, please, I do want to give you an heir, I just need some time, please!"

Scar stopped for a moment and looked at her, visibly disappointed. "I just don't get you... First you were afraid of getting cubs, and now you're afraid of not getting them. Either way, you keep pushing me away. I could understand why you were hesitant at first. I was the first lion in your life and you were scared and didn't know what to expect. But now you do. And you were over your fear of getting cubs. So what is the problem now? Is it me?"

Ndani's mood swings gave in to tears that started flowing almost instantly, without a warning. "I'm sorry, Scar, I didn't mean to hurt you! It's not you, I loved spendin' time with you, I really did! I wanna be with you now too! But if you had seen your face when I told you I wasn't expecting... I... I felt that I failed you, I felt worthless..."

Scar rolled his eyes. "There you go again, bringing yourself down, it's getting kind of old, you know. I told you it didn't matter, didn't I? I said we'd try again, and you said yes!"

"We'll try again, next time, I promise..." she said between sobs.

"Yeah, we'll see about that, I won't keep my hopes up," he hissed and looked away.

Ndani couldn't stand seeing him angry with her, but she was also upset at his lack of understanding. In the end she gave in and whispered, "You said you didn't need an heir right away, remember? You said I could come to you when _I _felt ready... But since apparently you want an heir so badly all of a sudden, fine, go ahead." The lioness then turned her back on him and crouched down on the ground.

Scar looked at her, but he turned around in disgust and walked away without another word.

Ndani looked over her shoulder and saw that he had left her. The lioness cursed softly and she sneaked back into the cave, feeling quite miserable and angry with Scar and with herself, and above all, feeling extremely lonely.

When she finally returned to Pride Rock, Huria walked past her and snarled, "I don't know what you did to him, but he's royally pissed and in an awful mood. Be a honey, and get him off our backs, will you?"

Ndani blinked a couple of times and nodded silently, hoping she could have a normal conversation with Scar now that her emotions were not getting in the way. But the lion kept avoiding her, so she decided to give him some time alone too, to cool down his temper as well.


	17. Nala Goes Hunting

_Chapter 17_

**Nala Goes Hunting**

As time went by, a few rainfalls came and went, but the situation in the Pride Lands was still very difficult. The hyenas and the Outlanders seemed to be coping slightly better than the Pride-Landers, who grew more desperate each day, and who had lost any hope that Scar would see the light and would allow them to move somewhere else.

The relation between the Pride-Landers and Scar had cooled down even more, and they barely spoke to each other. He spent most of his time with the Outlanders now, especially Zira, who now shared the royal plateau in the cave with him alone; Ndani hadn't slept by his side ever since they had had that fight by the small cave a few days ago.

Scar's bond with Zira had strengthened visibly, and unlike Ndani, she couldn't resist wanting to be alone with Scar when she came into season again. The lioness tried pleading, ordering, demanding, crying, anything to make Scar go with her, but Scar was pretty much aware that he'd be risking her life if he were to give in to her demands.

In the end, it was Scar who left the Pride Lands for a few days, finding it quite hard to resist not being with Zira again. He just hoped she'd be strong enough and would not give in to a passing rogue like she used to do when she was still in the Outlands. It didn't help to improve his mood to think that he could not be with the only lioness who actually wanted to be intimate with him at this point.

When Scar eventually returned to Pride Rock, Karanga welcomed him back and notified him that Nala had finally passed her hunting test, and she would be having her First Hunt soon.

Scar eyed the young lioness, who had grown considerably, having left cubhood behind. It amazed him how much she looked like Sarafina. There was definitely no trace of either Mufasa or himself in her looks, and by now Scar had given up on trying to figure out who her father was. All he could say for sure was that Nala would certainly be beautiful, just like her mother.

Scar congratulated Nala, and she thanked him sincerely in return.

Nala had been very young back then when Scar spared her life, but now that she was older, she understood the situation better, and she was aware that it had been very unusual for Scar to let her live. As such, she had tried to remain friendly towards Scar, even though they were not really close.

The news that Nala had passed her hunting test were received with less enthusiasm by the lionesses, as they knew that Nala would have very a hard time finding something to hunt on her own.

But Nala was still rather excited, and she was determined to prove to the Pride that she was ready to help in bringing food in. Her spirits were high, and she didn't let the lionesses' gloomy mood bring her down. There was only one thing that she wanted to take care of, and she decided to deal with as soon as possible.

"Scar, I'm sorry... Do you have a moment? It won't take long..." Nala asked him later on that evening, after Scar had returned from a walk with Zira.

The lion nodded, and Zira headed straight for the cave, making herself comfortable in the royal plateau again.

Scar sat on his haunches and looked at her. "What's the matter?"

"It's about my First Hunt," she said, full of confidence, "I wanted to ask your permission to go on my own, without a hyena escort, just like every other lioness has done before me."

Scar frowned slightly, looking thoughtful.

Nala looked at him and insisted, "Please, Scar, just this once... It would mean a lot to me."

Scar looked into her eyes, who didn't bear the resentment that he could see in the older lionesses. "I'll think about it," he finally told her.

Nala nodded. "Thanks for your time," she said respectfully, and headed back to where the rest of the Pride was resting.

He watched as Nala settled down next to Sarafina and told her, "He says he'll think about it! Oh, mom, I can't wait, I'm so excited..."

The lionesses then started retelling the stories of their first hunts. Mahali still hadn't forgiven the leopard that stole her first hunt, and she kept saying she'd get back at him some time.

What Mahali didn't know was that Scar had sent the hyenas to find the thief, despite her protests, and that the leopard in question had indeed been very, very sorry for stealing her catch after the hyenas were done with him. Word of this spread amongst the other hunters in the Savannah, which prompted them to leave the territory, in search for a place where they could hunt -and poach- without the fear of being swarmed by a whole clan of hyenas every time.

Scar smirked to himself, as he knew this had resulted in more food for the lions, but he was unaware that it had caused his reputation as King to sink even lower in the eyes of all the inhabitants of the Pride Lands.

The lion stood up with the intention of heading into the cave too, but he noticed Shenzi, Banzai and Ed approaching. They probably wanted a word with him as well. Scar sighed and hoped it wouldn't be another complaint about how far the herds were.

"Hey, Scar, I heard you were back," Shenzi said, "There's something important I gotta tell ya."

"Is it serious?" he asked her.

Shenzi shrugged, "I ain't sure yet... It's that shaman monkey, he's been acting really weird lately."

"And we mean weirder than usual," Banzai added, followed by a chuckle from Ed.

Scar sat down on his haunches again. "What happened?"

"Well, lately he doesn't speak a word to the hyenas if he can help it," Shenzi said.

"Yeah, the other day Asani went to his tree and he pretended not to be there. Funny thing, cause I knew for sure he was there, I had seen him bouncing in there literally just seconds before," Banzai added.

Shenzi went on, "I heard some of the new mothers say that he was very curtly with them too, when they brought one of their sick pups for a check-up."

Scar scratched his chin for a moment, looking thoughtful.

"You don't suppose he might know _somethin'_, do ya?" Shenzi whispered.

"If he knew, he would've told the lionesses for sure, don't you think?" the lion replied, "But so far no one has mentioned anything. They're going on about their business, being their usual, whiny selves. If they know, they are hiding it rather well."

The hyenas eyed the lionesses, who were all acting normally, and still sounding content as they reminisced over their First Hunt.

"I guess you're right, but maybe we oughta keep an eye on that Rafiki dude, just in case..."

Scar nodded. "Yes, I'll go see him soon and see if I can find out anything too. By the way, have the hyena escorts heard anything important from the lionesses' conversations?"

Shenzi shook her head. "Nothin' relevant to their escape plans at least, though there's a huge amount o'gossip about what's going on with you, the Queen and that Outlander lioness."

"Ah, yes, I could have guessed," Scar replied, rolling his eyes.

Shenzi sniggered quietly. "So... What is really going on? Is it true that you switched Queens?"

"Of course not, don't be ridiculous," Scar snapped, "I hang out with Zira a lot but Ndani's still the Queen. We just had one fight, and Ndani, as usual, blew things out of proportion. She's in a... self-imposed exile of some sort... Ugh, don't ask me, I really have no idea."

Banzai chuckled. "I've given up on trying to understand them females, pal. I just let 'em come to me when they want to and don't bother much with them afterwards."

Shenzi rolled her eyes, but Scar looked at him intrigued. "What? Have you fathered pups already?"

Banzai nodded. "Sure! At least eight, that I know of..."

"Eight? Wow... How come you never told me?"

The hyena looked surprised at Scar's reaction. "I'll make a fuss about it once I find a real mate and settle down. For now, it's just ladies passin' through, wantin' a piece of one of the the dominant males of the clan," Banzai said, wiggling his eyebrows, while Shenzi made gagging motions behind him.

Scar glanced at Ed. "What about him?"

Banzai and Shenzi both burst into laughter. Ed joined in eventually, not sure what they were laughing about, but he laughed all the same.

Shenzi went on after she caught her breath, "Picture the lowest of the low in the ranking of the pack. Well, ten times below that, you'll find our poor Ed. The only reason he's not been chased away, or worse, it's because he's our bro and anyone messing with him will be sorry. So to answer your question, nope, no pups for him. I don't think he even knows how to."

Ed simply sat there, his tongue lolling out as usual, staring at everyone in an amused fashion.

"Well, I think it's time we get goin'-" Shenzi said, but Scar interrupted her.

"Not so fast... How about you? Shouldn't you be thinking on raising someone to follow on your pawprints too?"

Shenzi chuckled and shook her head. "I'd like to have a steady partner first, before that happens."

Scar grinned slightly, recalling when they were still young. If felt strange to sit with them here, as adults, right in the middle of the Pride Lands, having a discussion about their own progeny.

Banzai got closer and whispered in Scar's ear, just loud enough for Shenzi to hear, "She's got some dudes interested in her, but whaddayaknow, she's too picky."

"Shut up, Banzai, s'none of your business anyway!" Shenzi said as she slapped him hard on the head.

Banzai glared at her as she rubbed his head with a paw and muttered something unintelligible.

"Anyway, we're going, just thought we'd let you know about the situation with Rafiki," Shenzi said, "We'll talk to you later, okay?"

Scar nodded, and the hyenas and the lion went their separate ways. Scar walked into the cave and looked around, just to confirm that once again, Ndani was not in there. He sighed, looking disappointed.

"If you were looking for your Queen, she was just here a few moments ago," Zira told Scar as he joined her on the plateau, "Your mother just took her away for a heart to heart."

"Really? Well, if there's anyone who can knock some sense into her, it's probably Karanga," he said as he settled down. "Where is Nuka, by the way?"

"Kahawia took him and her daughters for a stroll, to tire them up a little bit before nap-time."

"And to think we never expected him to make it this far... He hasn't gotten sick in a while either, has he?"

Zira shook her head. "No, but his fur still looks terrible. No amount of grooming will fix that, I'm afraid that's just the way he looks."

Scar chuckled slightly. "Oh well, if he's made it through an early birth, plus all those illnesses, and the only after-effect of that is ugly fur, I say he can consider himself lucky."

Zira looked at Scar and whispered, "Have you decided if you will start training him to be the next King or not?"

Scar shook his head. "Not yet... I still think he's not suitable. I am not sure I want to spend time and energy on such an endeavor."

"Well, time's passing and there are still no other male cubs around, you'd better at least teach him the basics, just in case," Zira insisted.

"I want to wait just a bit longer... Rafiki once looked into his shell and told me there'd be two males, at least..."

Zira nodded and stopped discussing the matter, trying not to look too disappointed. "All right, as you wish, dear."

The lioness lay down again and went to sleep, but Scar stayed awake, to see when Ndani and Karanga would return. It was much later when the two lionesses finally made their way into the cave.

Scar looked at them with curiosity, as they whispered to each other, the only hushed words Scar could pick up were a soft 'thanks for your advice' from Ndani, and an 'anytime' from Karanga.

Karanga went to lie down on her usual spot, and Ndani just stood there for a moment, not sure whether to join Scar or not, as she didn't know if Scar was still upset with her.

Ndani looked at the lion, who was staring straight back at her. Scar didn't say anything, but simply shuffled slightly to the side, so as to make room for her.

Ndani took the hint and she went to join Scar and Zira. Seeing how the lioness was asleep already, Ndani only whispered a soft 'hello'.

"Welcome back," Scar whispered back, and wrapped his paw around her.

Ndani settled against Scar, glad to see him after having missed him terribly the past few days.

"Can we take a stroll tomorrow? Just you and I?" she asked him.

Scar knew she probably wanted to talk to him in private, to set things straight, so he nodded in agreement.

Scar fell asleep shortly after Ndani returned, and Ndani herself followed not long after.

Zira was awakened a bit later when Nuka returned to her side, after having spent some time with Kahawia and her daughters. The lioness couldn't hide a severe frown when she noticed Ndani lying next to them again. She had enjoyed immensely having Scar all for herself the past weeks, and now that Ndani was back, she knew he'd be spending less time with her again, and it didn't please her.

"Mother! Kahawia took us to the edge of the elephant-" Nuka started to say, but was interrupted by Zira.

"Shh!" she hushed him, "Can't you see Scar is sleeping? You must keep quiet, Nuka. We don't want to wake him up."

Nuka appeared a bit deflated. "But I wanted to tell you about my trip with Kahawia..."

"You can tell me later, for now it's time for your nap. Now, be a good cub and be still, will you?"

Nuka sighed deeply. "Okay..." he replied softly, and curled into a small ball by her paws, eying Scar with a bit of jealousy.

"That's a good lad. Now sleep well," Zira whispered, as she gave Nuka a quick nuzzle that was enough to distract the cub from the resentment he felt about Scar getting most of Zira's attention.

The cub felt rather tired after the long walk, and despite his protests, he joined the sleeping lions around him shortly after, while Zira stared at Ndani thoughtfully for a while, her expression a bit cold and calculating. She eventually lay down to sleep again, snuggling closer to Scar.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Scar and Ndani left the cave very early, before sunrise, and went for a drink together. As they walked to the waterhole, Scar asked her, "So, are you feeling better now?"<p>

Ndani nodded. "Yes... Listen, Scar, I'm really sorry about that day... I couldn't control my emotions, I was all over the place, I didn't mean to upset you..."

Scar nodded. "I already thought so. But, the thing is, even before you came into season again, you were still acting cold and distant. I don't want you to keep pushing me away. I had promised I'd make time for you, so it's only fair that you quit hiding and avoiding me."

Ndani sighed. "I know, again, I'm sorry... I was just really down and I didn't wanna disappoint you again... But I'm ready to try again, and I promise I will let you know when the next time comes."

Scar nodded, and they both went silent as they bent down to drink some water. When they were done drinking, they sat down for a moment and groomed each other's face shortly.

"I didn't think you'd miss me that much, to be honest. I thought Zira would keep your mind off things..." Ndani said.

"We did become closer," he admitted, "but she made things worse at some point, when she herself came into season. I had to leave, so as not to endanger her life by giving in to her requests. So I spent a lot of time on my own too. It was a feeling that certainly brought back some nasty memories from the past."

Ndani looked away, feeling slightly guilty about not having been there to offer him some support and company.

"Let's just move on, okay?" Scar went on, "like Karanga always says, what's done is done... Let's focus on what's coming instead."

Ndani nodded and gave him a quick nuzzle, but he didn't return her affections.

"Will you go on patrol now?" she asked.

Scar shook his head. "Later. There's something I want to ask Rafiki first."

"Oh, I'll come with you," she said.

Scar frowned. "I'd rather you stayed here, it's kind of personal."

Ndani's ears drooped slightly, wondering what sort of personal matter would it be, that he didn't feel like discussing it with her first. "Oh, all right then..."

"Besides, the lionesses are busy getting ready for Nala's First Hunt, so they might need you at Pride Rock."

"Oh? What did I miss? Nala's First Hunt? Already?" she exclaimed.

Scar just nodded. "So I'll see you back at Pride Rock, okay?"

"Fine, see ya later," the lioness replied as she stood up. She walked away, feeling that Scar was still acting a bit distant with her, but she decided to drop the issue for now.

Scar in the meantime headed in the direction of Rafiki's baobab. The reason why he had been distant with Ndani is that he had other pressing matters on his mind at the moment. He didn't want Ndani nearby, in case Rafiki knew more than he should know. The lion would need to take drastic measures if this was the case, and he didn't want any witnesses.

As he approached, he saw Rafiki sitting at the base of his tree, staring into the distance as he bit into a fruit thoughtfully.

"Hello Rafiki," Scar said.

Rafiki glanced at him, and quickly concentrated on his fruit again, taking the seeds out, as if it was a rather delicate process that required his full attention. "Hello there," he mumbled.

Scar sat nearby and stared at Rafiki, studying his body language carefully to determine what sort of mood he was in. His tense posture, and the fact that the baboon hadn't asked why he had come by for a visit, told Scar that Rafiki was indeed not his usual self. The lion decided to take the initiative.

"I came here because I've heard some unusual claims from the hyenas," Scar said, keeping a close eye on Rafiki and watching his reaction.

Rafiki kept calm as he ate his fruit, and turned to look at him disinterestedly. "Oh, really? What did they say?" he replied through a mouthful.

"They seem to think you're a bit down in the dumps. I have to admit, you don't look too well to me either."

Rafiki swallowed what remained from his lunch and licked his fingers clean. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to worry everyone. It's just that I had a very sad piece of news and I am having a hard time coping with it."

Scar raised an eyebrow. "You? But you're always full of wisdom and strength to keep everyone going when one gets hit with sad news. How come you can't apply your own lessons to yourself?"

"It's something rather personal, something I am not ready to share with anyone yet. I'm sure you of all lions would understand. We're all entitled to a little secret every now and then, isn't it so?" Rafiki said as he turned his back on the lion, trying to hide his trembling hands from Scar. The baboon was shaking in anger, and it was costing him all his might to keep it hidden.

At that moment, the leaves on Rafiki's tree shook slightly, as the breeze gently picked up around them. Rafiki understood; it was a reminder that he had to keep his temper at bay, and stay on Scar's good side for now, for his own sake and for the sake of the rest of the Pride.

Rafiki took a deep, calming breath, and then turned to Scar, trying to smile as best as he could.

"What do you mean by that?" Scar asked, looking very serious all of a sudden.

Rafiki stood up and stretched himself, trying to appear nonchalant. "I would have thought it was obvious! You kept your friendship with the hyenas to yourself in the beginning, remember? You had your reasons to keep it a secret, just as I have my reasons to keep mine. Who knows, maybe in the future my own secret might come to the light too. But for now, please tell everyone to stop worrying about me. I'll be fine, just trust old Rafiki."

Scar could still sense some hostility, but he decided to stop prying. "While I am here, will you look into your shell for me?" he asked instead.

The baboon shook his head. "I'm sorry, today's not a good day. I have a headache and when I am not feeling well my readings tend to be rather inaccurate. If you come back some other day..."

Scar grunted and stood up. "Fine... Maybe by then you've sorted out whatever's bringing you down," the lion said, "Until then..."

"Yes, until then, Scar," Rafiki replied, which made the lion stop on his tracks.

Scar looked at him over his shoulders. "You called me 'Scar'. Did you finally decide to start using my new name, after all these years?"

Rafiki rubbed his temples with a pained expression. "Never mind me... Like I told you, I'm not thinking straight at the moment. I think I will go take a headache remedy and sleep for a bit. See you around," he said, and climbed up the tree trunk, disappearing quickly between the leaves of his tree.

Scar walked away, agreeing with the hyenas: Rafiki was indeed acting very strange, but it was hard to determine the reason. But he would keep a better eye on him for now on.

Rafiki in the meantime, sighed in relief once the lion disappeared in the distance. "Yes, I called you Scar... You're not even the shadow of my little Hatari, the lion I used to know and love..." he muttered to himself. He then looked up at the sky through the leaves of the tree. "Ah, Mufasa," he said out loud, "I don't know how long I can keep this up. Please let me know how I need to proceed to sort this mess out..."

But the wind was completely still.

"Fine... I'll keep waiting," Rafiki mumbled, and lied down to rest for a while, feeling very frustrated.

* * *

><p>The day of Nala's First Hunt had finally arrived. It was a gloomy day, with dark clouds far away in the horizon, but that didn't deter Nala, on the contrary, she was grateful that it was overcast, so the heat of the sun wouldn't bother her too much.<p>

She was all by herself in the cave, getting ready mentally as well as warming her muscles up. She knew she'd have to cover a long distance, and was repeating to herself, "You can do it, you'll find something!"

She took a deep breath, and finally came out of the cave, where the Pride was waiting for her. Nala looked around, gazing at the excited faces of her pride-mates. She descried the Outlanders further below Pride Rock, and Kahawia smiled at her and mouthed 'good luck'.

Sarafina approached Nala and nuzzled her lovingly. "My beautiful girl, I can't believe this time has come. Can't you be my little cub just a little bit longer?"

Nala smiled. "You can give me a bath when I return," she said as she nuzzled her mother back.

Sarabi sighed as she watched this young lioness blooming into adulthood, and couldn't help but wonder what her son Simba would have looked like by now, if he was still alive.

One by one, the lionesses wished Nala good luck and a speedy return.

It was then Scar's turn to wish her good luck and give her his blessing. Nala padded up to him resolutely and looked at him with questioning eyes, wondering, _Will you let me go alone?_

Scar looked at Nala, and told her solemnly, "I've been thinking a lot about your request, and I came to the conclusion that you haven't given me a reason to distrust you. So I will let you go alone, for this once. Don't disappoint me."

Nala gave him a huge smile and glanced at her mother triumphantly. "Thank you, Scar, I'll try to bring back the biggest prey I can catch!"

Scar nodded at her. She seemed genuinely excited about the hunt itself and about proving herself to the pride, that he doubted that the thoughts of escaping had actually crossed her mind.

The lion gave her a quick nuzzle, as tradition dictated, and sent her off. "Off you go now, good luck."

The Pride watched the lioness walk away and they roared at her excitedly. Nala roared back at them, and disappeared in the distance.

The hyenas in the meantime kept a close eye on the rest of the Pride, in case any other lioness decided to take advantage of the fact that Nala had no escort, and would attempt to join her.

* * *

><p>Before going on full hunt mode, Nala decided to make a quick stop at the gorge first, where she sat down for a few minutes. She liked to come here whenever something relevant happened in her life, and today was no exception. She closed her eyes and thought about Simba. "It's my First Hunt today," she whispered, "What would you have done if you were still alive? Would you be cheering for me? Or would you be immerse in your father's lessons, too busy to be able to care? Or would you be the one giving me the royal blessing?"<p>

She opened her eyes again and stared ahead. "I still miss you, you know. I wish I could have shared all this with you. Even now that there's new cubs on the Pride, the place of Best Friend still belongs to you."

The lioness stood up and shook herself. "Well, go on, give me your blessing from above!" she said, and stared up at the sky for a short moment.

When she was satisfied, she smiled to herself. "All right, let's go!"

When Nala reached the borders of the Pride Lands, she realized she had never been this far on her own, except the one time she sneaked into the Elephant Graveyard with Simba as cubs.

Nala noticed that the hyenas had the borders very well covered. She could see several groups lying scattered around the plains. They all watched her with interest as she came closer.

"Not planning on walkin' away, are ya?" a male addressed her, as he walked to her and blocked her path, baring his fangs.

"I got Scar's permission, it's my First Hunt," Nala replied, trying to sound self-confident and not letting him intimidate her.

"Ah, true..." replied a second hyena, as he joined the first one, "Scar said only this one Pride-Lander could cross the borders. Anyone else, we're free to teach 'em a lesson."

Nala frowned, wondering if those had actually been Scar's exact words.

"Lemme see your belly," demanded the second hyena all of a sudden.

"What?" Nala said, as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we gotta make sure you're the right lioness. Scar said she'd have on her tummy some lighter-colored hair, kinda in the shape of an impala's hoofprint. So, go on, let's see!"

Nala blinked a couple of times. She sat down on her back paws and lifted her front paws. The lioness looked down, allowing the hyenas a good view of her chest and tummy as well. She had never realized that the lighter pattern of her fur on her belly looked indeed like an impala print, but apparently Scar had noticed it at some point.

"Yup, this is the one..." the hyena said as he poked Nala's tummy with a paw a couple of times. It made the lioness chuckle slightly, out of reflex, but she quickly lowered her paws again, protectively.

"Fine, let her through!" the second hyena ordered, and the first male that had blocked her path stepped aside.

As Nala crossed the border, she heard the hyena say, "Okay pal, raise the alert, let 'em know that the one Pride-Lander Scar talked about has crossed the northern border. Make sure no other pussycat tries to pass for her."

One by one each group whooped towards the next, signaling that way to the rest of the hyenas on patrol duty that the borders were closed again and no other lioness should be allowed through.

"Wow... Paranoid much?" Nala muttered to herself. She shook her head and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. She looked around, trying to catch the scent of any herd nearby, but she picked no trails. She walked past the elephant graveyard, thinking about Simba again. She stopped a few seconds to stare at the skull of the elephant bull where they first met the hyenas. Despite the years, it still looked just as eerie as she remembered.

Nala sighed deeply, and walked on. She could hear some voices nearby coming from the graveyard, and went to check it out in case it was some possible prey, but it turned out to be the Trouble-Makers, who were trying to trick Nuka into sitting on a geyser.

Judging from the pained screams that followed after, plus the hyena laughter that echoed through the graveyard, the hyenas had succeeded.

"I'll get you for that, wait till I tell my mother!" she heard Nuka scream, and that was the last voice she heard before she was welcomed by the most desolate landscape she had ever seen. At least the Pride Lands were full of life thanks to the lionesses and the hyenas. But here, there was no animal in sight.

Nala just looked more determined and quickened her pace, but now she finally understood why her pride-mates were so worried and were thinking about going away. The lioness walked for miles on end, coming across nothing but skeletons that had been fully stripped of meat already. The feeling of desolation got to her, and she desperately tried to seek contact with any living being.

She eventually found a lonely buzzard, perched up on the branch of a dry, dying tree.

"Now that's a cheery picture..." Nala told to herself, but approached him all the same. Perhaps he could be of assistance.

The buzzard turned to her as she approached, with a hungry look on his face.

"Relax, I'm not dead or dying yet," she told him in a friendly tone.

The buzzard chuckled slightly. "Won't be long, mark my words, I'm afraid we'll meet again soon."

"Not if I can help it! Say... you wouldn't know in which direction the herds went, would you?"

"You're wasting your time," the buzzard said, "there's nothing here."

Nala frowned. "Please, can't you just fly around for a little a bit, and see if you spot anything? It's my First Hunt, you see..."

The buzzard let out a cold, raspy laugh. "Like this place needs more predators..."

"Please..." Nala insisted.

The buzzard sighed deeply and took off, flying higher and higher, circling around on top of Nala, while she looked up, expectantly.

After a while, the buzzard landed back on his branch. "This might be your lucky day. There's a troop of baboons, that way," he said as he pointed in their direction with one of his wings.

Nala's ears drooped. "Oh, no... Not baboons... What if it's someone Rafiki knows?" she wondered out loud.

"Oh, so you know Rafiki too?" he asked.

"Who doesn't?" Nala replied with a small grin. "Anyway, I guess I'll have to keep on looking... Thanks a lot for your help anyway," she added.

She turned around to leave, but the buzzard called her. "Hey! Just 'cause you were nice and polite, I'll give you a handy tip. If you want to find some good meat, try crossing the desert, past the thorn bushes by the gorge. It's a long and difficult trip, but it's worth it."

"The desert..." she pondered, but then shook her head. "I can't go that far, my mother would be worried sick... But thanks for the tip, I'll keep it in mind."

The buzzard waved good-bye with a wing. "Good luck, gal, you gonna need it!"

The lioness kept walking, the feeling of uneasiness creeping up on her again. It was until nightfall that she spotted some stray zebras. The grass was completely dried out, so she hoped that her golden color would blend in nicely with her surroundings. She would have to be very careful in approaching them.

Nala put all her lessons to the test. Stealth, speed and strength, all came together, and despite having walked all day long, the lioness mustered all the energy she had left, and ran after one of the zebras, who had lowered its guard for a moment.

Nala got to experience the thrill of the chase, and the satisfaction of a successful hunt, for the first time. The rest of the zebras fled in different directions, but it didn't matter anymore. Nala had managed to catch one, and held it tightly from its neck with her muzzle, until the zebra moved no more.

"I made it... I can't believe it..." she said, looking around proudly, but there was no one to share her excitement with. As she eyed her prey, she was tempted to get a few bites from it, but in the end resisted the temptation and started the tiresome process of dragging her catch back home.

She kept an eye for other predators who might want to steal her hunt, like it happened to Mahali, but Nala and her unfortunate zebra were the only animals for miles.

It felt like the longest trip ever, and it was just before sunrise when Nala finally reached the borders of the Pride Lands.

The hyenas on patrol duty refused to let her in, unless she shared some of her zebra with them, but they desisted pretty quickly when Nala told them the meal would be inspected by Scar himself, and he was bound to notice that the hyenas had stolen a bite from the King's meal.

As Nala walked to Pride Rock, she could see Sarafina and Mahali up by the promontory, waiting for her. Both lionesses ran down to meet Nala the moment they spotted her. They roared happily, waking up the rest of the Pride to notify them that Nala had returned.

The rest of lionesses and Scar came out of the cave, looking a bit sleepy, but glad to see her back, and more over, knowing that her First Hunt had been a success.

Scar inspected Nala's catch closely, thanked her for the meal, and began eating from it. His expression was hard to read, but Sarafina dared to think that he was actually proud of her.

As they watched him eat, Nala sat down next to her Pride-Mates. She spoke in a hushed voice when she said, "Sheesh, you were not kidding when you said the herds were nowhere to be found... I thought the Pride Lands looked barren, but the borders are even worse."

Huria nodded. "We know, that's what we've been trying to hammer into that thick skull of His Majesty, but still, here we are..."

Nala brightened up slightly as she said, "I did get a tip from this buzzard I passed along the way, he said across the desert-"

Sita interrupted her, "No, no, no. Never take a tip from a buzzard! They'll just set you up so that you meet your demise somehow, and then they can gobble you up!"

Except for Sarabi and Huria, who only exchanged a quick glance, the rest of lionesses laughed and Nala had to admit that Sita had a point. She didn't know that buzzard, and for all she knew, sending her towards the desert would have been a perfect way to weaken her and make her die of heat and thirst.

At that moment, Scar moved away from the zebra, allowing Nala to eat from her meal.

She approached her catch, as her pride-mates looked on quietly, eying the meat longingly.

It was customary that the lioness could eat her first catch all on her own if she wanted, but this time, Nala invited her pride-mates over to share the food. "What are you waiting for? Let's dig in!"

The lionesses didn't think twice and joined Nala. They all started eating ravenously and finished the zebra in no time.

Once they had their fill, Nala began grooming herself, feeling satisfied, but at the same time, very uneasy about what she had seen today. It was now crystal clear why the Pride was acting so cold and distant towards Scar.

Huria and Sarabi, in the meantime, waited patiently until the Pride was distracted and Scar had gone back to the cave. When they saw their chance, they both quietly approached Nala.

The young lioness sensed someone approaching and looked up. "Enjoyed your meal?" she asked them with a smile.

"Shh..." Sarabi hushed her, and looked around.

Making sure there were no hyenas nearby, Sarabi then whispered, "Sweetie, can you tell us what was this tip you got from that buzzard?"

"Um..." Nala said in hushed tones, wondering what these two lionesses were up to this time, "He said I could find meat if I went across the desert past the gorge, up north."

Sarabi and Huria looked at each other again.

"What? What is it?" Nala asked them.

Sarabi shook her head. "It's nothing, dear. I was just hoping that it would be a useful tip, but, come on, crossing the desert? That really sounds like he was trying to lure you into a trap."

Nala nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I guess... Anyway, I'm really exhausted, I'm going to take a well-deserved nap now."

"You do that," Huria said, "sweet dreams, and I hope you feel well rested, to join us in the next hunt!"

Nala gave her a wide grin, and walked away in search of her mother, to take a nap together.

When she was out of earshot, Huria turned to Sarabi and whispered excitedly, "Did you hear that? Across the desert! It's already the second bird that mentions that area! First that stork by the lake, and now this buzzard..."

Sarabi nodded, looking a bit worried.

"Maybe we can ask Zazu to go there, to confirm?" Huria went on, "I am sure Scar won't even notice he's gone, the poor bird's been doing nothing really useful ever since that lion assumed the throne..."

Sarabi looked very thoughtful. "I am not sure if he can make it across the desert, and even if he did, we will just be wasting time here while we wait for him to return with his answer. No, we need to take action ourselves. We need to go there and look for help. We desperately need some allies of our own..." she whispered, glancing with disgust at the hyenas in the distance.

Huria nodded. "You're right, that's a better idea... Getting a rogue or two on our side... We'd just need someone to help us tackle that vermin; first those hyenas at the border, then whatever hyena escort might follow the Pride towards the border. Once those hyenas are out of the way, then we can lead the lionesses to the new area."

Sarabi nodded. "Yes... We can start a pride with our new rogue allies far away... Believe me when I say it hurts me deeply to think about leaving this place. It means so much to me, but this has to be done."

Huria sighed deeply. "I know... It's the only chance we have to make sure we survive. "

Sarabi looked at her. "We will need a decoy to distract the hyenas at the border, so that we can get through. And I just happen to have a plan..."

The two lionesses kept talking in hushed tones to each other, and they didn't realize that Nala had been staring curiously at them for quite a while, before she finally fell asleep.


	18. The Escape Plan

_Chapter 18_

**The Escape Plan**

For the last few days, Shada had spent a lot of time sitting up on the promontory, gazing intently at the hyenas below, but no one paid her much attention.

One afternoon, Tahlili walked to her and asked, "Hey! Mahali and I are on cub duty today, and we heard from Sarabi you were not joining the hunt either. I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with us and the cubs..."

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass this time," Shada replied, smiling at her sister.

Tahlili frowned slightly. "Oh? Have you got anything else to do? Something more interesting than a walk with your boring sis?"

Shada chuckled. "Don't be silly, you know I love our walks together, but as a matter of fact, I do have something else to do."

Tahlili gasped. "Oh dear... You're going to spend time with Scar!"

"What? No!" Shada exclaimed, blushing slightly. "It's... Look, I'm just doing Sarabi a favour. But I can't tell anyone, so please don't insist, 'Lili..."

Tahlili looked a bit disgruntled, but nodded in the end. "Fine, just don't get in trouble... You know how Scar's keeping tabs on her and all..."

Shada nodded and nuzzled Tahlili. "Don't worry about me. Now, you go and enjoy your walk, okay? I'll talk to you later."

Tahlili nuzzled her back. "All right, see you then," she said, and walked down the promontory.

Shada stayed put as she watched Tahlili, Mahali and the cubs leave together, followed by their hyena escort. The rest of the Pride went in search for food shortly after, but Sarabi had made sure that Shada would conveniently be excused from the hunt.

The lioness kept gazing ahead, concentrating and trying not to fall into drowsiness. After a short while, she spotted what she had been looking for the past few days: the Trouble-Makers were heading towards the lake, on their own.

Shada stood up swiftly, and she quickly climbed down the promontory. As she ran past some of the hyenas that were lounging nearby, one of them yelled, "Hey, where you going? Where's your escort?"

She stopped for a moment, "I was supposed to go with the two lionesses that just left with the cubs, but I got delayed for a bit. I'm just trying to catch up with them. They already had an escort too, if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh, yeah. Move along then, they can't be that far," the hyena replied, and he lay down lazily, yawning. He kept an eye on the lioness as she walked away, to make sure she'd reunite with the lionesses, but fell asleep shortly after.

Shada ran off in the direction Tahlili and Mahali had taken, but once she made sure she was not being followed, she changed course and headed for the lake. She spotted the young hyenas walking slowly in the distance, and she slowed her pace, she didn't want to appear like she had been running just to reach them.

"Hey, you guys," she called nonchalantly, and Mashavu turned around, looking a bit uneasy all of a sudden.

"Why are you here? Where's your escort? No one followed you, right?"

Shada was taken aback. "My escort is with Mahali and Tahlili. But I just saw you guys here when we walked past, and I thought I'd say hi, and they were okay with it. Is something wrong?"

Mashavu looked around, sniffing the air, but she didn't pick up the scent of any other hyenas nearby.

"Let's all walk together, guys, and keep your eyes peeled for you-know-who," she whispered. The Trouble-Makers nodded and walked towards the lake, looking more alert than before.

"Okay, Masha, you're freaking me out," Shada said sincerely, "what's the matter?"

"Ever since you asked us to be your escort, Asani and Shenzi found it very suspicious and they've been keepin' an eye on us since then, and on you as well. That's why Shenzi and her gang are escortin' the huntresses now, and I am sure Asani's havin' us followed. She thinks I wanna help you guys escape."

Shada cleared her throat and looked away for a moment. "Don't be silly. We know the borders are well guarded. We couldn't get through even with you guys as our escort. Either way, I am free to walk by the lake if I want to, and I just happened to meet you guys here, right?"

Mashavu nodded, scratching her head a bit thoughtfully. "Right... Nothin' really suspicious about that, huh?"

They finally reached the lake, which now had turned into a puddle of mud, unsuitable for swimming, and dangerous.

"Oh man, this sucks," one of the hyenas exclaimed, as he pawed the muddy mess.

"Actually, it can be quite fun!" Shada said, "Try sliding on it."

The hyena raised his eyebrows, looking puzzled.

"Like this," Shada added, and she darted off in a quick run, and slid into the mud, making sure not to slide in too deep.

The hyenas laughed. "That does look like fun, lemme try!"

One by one the hyenas started joining in, and eventually began daring one another to slide farther than the other.

Shada waited patiently, until Batu, the youngest of the bunch, got stuck in the mud and couldn't get out. The lioness remained alert, while the hyenas fooled around.

"Uh, guys? I'm kinda stuck here..." Batu said.

The Trouble-Makers made fun of him for a while, as the hyena struggled to free himself, while sinking more in the process.

Shada kept a close eye on Batu, but stayed put, thinking, _Come on, do it now... Please, just do it..._

"I'm not kidding, you guys, help me!"

The hyenas didn't take their mate seriously, but Shada knew that the poor hyena was in real trouble. _Do it now!_

Finally, the young hyena panicked and let out the characteristic hyena distress call. Shada pricked her ears. _Yes! Finally!_

The Trouble-Makers hushed quickly, and Mashavu muttered, "Oh, I guess he ain't fakin'..."

Shada then stood up. "Don't worry, we can get him out. Let's make a chain. Everyone, get a hold of each other's tail. Mashavu, you go at the front, grab Batu with your paws and then we all try to pull him out together."

The hyenas did as they were told without hesitation, forming a chain by biting gently on each other's tail, with Shada at the rear and Mashavu at the front. The hyena reached for her struggling pack-mate, who was up to his neck in mud now.

Mashavu wrapped her forepaws around the body of Batu. "Okay, I got him! Pull!"

They all started pulling and little by little they managed to dislodge the stuck hyena. "I'm free! I can move now!" he said, and he stumbled out of the mud, safe and sound.

"Phew, that was a close one..." Mashavu said, shaking herself, spraying mud all over the Trouble-Makers and Shada.

"I'll say," the lioness replied, as she quickly cleaned her face with a paw. She hesitated for a moment, but then ventured to ask, "Hey, how come you took Batu seriously all of a sudden? Was it that strange sound he made?"

Mashavu nodded. "That's our distress call. We only use it when we're in real trouble. If you misuse it, the pack won't take you seriously next time you might need help for real."

"Wow, I see... You know, we don't have anything like that. We just... roar, more loudly than usual, I suppose."

Mashavu laughed. "It's quite handy, you lions should create a special secret call or something."

"We totally should... How did yours go? Something like this?" Shada said, and tried to imitate the sound the stuck hyena had made earlier.

The Trouble-Makers laughed loudly in unison.

"No, no! That was more like a call for _'Hey, everyone I have stomach cramps!'_" Mashavu said as she snorted in laughter.

"Oh, give me a break, I'm new at this! Okay, how about this one?" Shada said, and tried again, resulting in more mockery from the hyenas.

Shada chuckled along. "Okay, okay, show me again! How does it go?"

Mashavu replicated the call several times, only not as loud as usual, so as not to be heard by the pack.

Shada noticed that the rest of the Trouble-Makers were suddenly less enthusiastic than before, and were looking at each other with uneasiness. Usiku, second-in-command of the little gang, prodded Mashavu on the ribs with a paw and said "Hey, s'been fun and all but I don't think you should be teachin' her this..."

Mashavu ignored her clan-mate's warnings. "Psh, c'mon, she's our buddy, and we're just fooling around, right? Admit it, it's really funny to hear her making our sounds!"

The hyenas couldn't help but laugh along, as Shada's attempts at replicating their distress call resulted in hilarious messages instead.

Shada kept trying time and time again, until she perfected the sound.

"Wow, that one coulda fooled us, good job!" Mashavu complimented her, and Shada returned a huge grin.

"We should get goin' back, you guys," Usiku said, looking around.

Shada nodded. "Yeah, you're right, I should also get back too... I've no idea where my original escort is though. Would you mind escorting me to Pride Rock?"

Mashavu grinned. "I guess there's no other choice now, hmm? Whether Shenzi likes it or not!"

As they all walked together, Mashavu glanced over her shoulder, towards her friends who were all distracted while talking to each other. The hyena turned to Shada and whispered, "Just between you and me... Are you really thinking about escaping?"

Shada looked at her. "Me? Oh, no. The Pride has stopped talking about that ever since Scar gave us his little talk and assigned escorts to us. Besides, my mother is very keen on staying too, so my sister and I have decided to stay with her. We'll go when she decides to go."

Mashavu bit her lip for a moment, eager to say more, but holding back.

"Why?" Shada asked her, "Are there rumours spreading or something?"

"S'just things I've heard... Things like Scar barely talks to you guys and the other way around... That, in combo with the little food around here, kinda makes it sound like a very unhappy place to be at. Asani says us hyenas had it worse at the graveyard, but they don't think you lionesses will take it much longer."

Shada stared into the distance as the words of the young hyena sank in. "Asani is right; we have no idea how long we can keep this up. But how about you, guys? Your clan needs food just as much as we do. Is no one planning to leave Scar's lands behind and seek fortune elsewhere?"

Mashavu nodded. "You didn't hear this from me, okay? There's no real plan yet, but Asani's been gathering some followers who are not as obsessed with Scar as Shenzi and her gang. There are talks about a clan-split and things like that. Nothing serious yet, but the seed's there... Give it some time and it might grow into somethin' nasty if things don't improve around here."

"Sounds like Asani's not willing to risk her neck for Scar..."

"Oh, no," Mashavu laughed, "She never was. The moment things turn really ugly, she and those who follow her will probably walk away."

"And how many followers does Asani have, give or take?"

Mashavu pondered for a moment. "Hard to say. Shenzi's popularity has dropped a bit since she seems more eager to keep Scar content than the rest of the clan. "

Shada chuckled. "And where do the Trouble-Makers stand?"

The hyena shrugged. "Haven't given it much thought, we'll probably follow our parents or guardians for now."

"Ah yes, you're a bit too young to be picking sides," Shada told more to herself than to the hyena.

"I guess... but if push comes to shove, I'll stick with Shenzi's side. She's fun and cool, and Asani's all serious and condescending and I never liked her much."

Shada chuckled, and switched topic once they were back at Pride Rock. The hyenas that were lounging lazily by the rock barely paid any attention to the lioness and her young group of escorts. Shada headed towards the cave, while The Trouble-Makers went on to mingle back with their clan.

Later that day, when the lioness hunting party finally returned late that night, they were feeling rather disappointed since they could not find anything to hunt. Shada walked to them and nuzzled the lionesses, while trying to comfort them. "Don't worry, we'll find something tomorrow..." she told them.

But when she reached Sarabi, Shada whispered in her ear instead, "It's done. Just let me know what to do next."

Sarabi nuzzled her too appreciatively, and whispered in return, "I can't thank you enough."

* * *

><p>One evening, Scar had just returned from doing his rounds and was pacing by Pride Rock, looking for the lionesses. He had also popped by Rafiki's tree earlier, but the baboon was not home. The lion had returned to Pride Rock feeling that Rafiki was still avoiding him, but he kept reassuring himself that if the baboon knew anything at all, he certainly wouldn't keep it to himself.<p>

Pride Rock looked pretty deserted, with the hunting party and the Outlanders gone in search for food. Only Njano, Anasa and Mahali remained behind, keeping an eye on the cubs.

Scar lay down as he looked at them and idly listened to their conversation. His attention was diverted when he heard soft footsteps behind him. Scar looked over his shoulder to see Nuka walking resolutely towards him.

"Hello," the cub greeted him shyly, "Njano said it was okay if I came to you for a while, as long as I return when mother gets back. Mother doesn't like it when I bother you."

Now that Nuka was older, Scar could tell that the cub looked a lot like him when he was young, only a lot lankier.

Scar sat up straight and looked down on Nuka, making the submissive cub look away without intending to. "Did you need anything?"

Nuka grinned at him for a moment, but his grin faded rather quickly. "I was just wondering... Mother's been teaching me to hunt. She says it's important cause one day I might have to look for my own food, when I have to leave the Pride. Is that true?"

Scar looked at the cub as he raised an eyebrow. "What exactly did she tell you?"

Nuka sat down and scratched his neck with a hind paw for a moment. "Well, she told me that only the Prince can stay and take over your place when you die, and since I'm not the Queen's son, I'll have to leave sometime."

Scar nodded. "There is some truth in that; that's usually how things work. But there's still a long time to go before that happens, so I wouldn't worry too much about it now."

"Is it also true that I have to study real hard 'cause if the Queen doesn't give you cubs, I might have a small chance to stay?" Nuka asked.

Scar frowned slightly, wondering just how much Zira had been planting already on this young cub's head. "There could be a chance, yes, if something were to happen to me before the heir to the throne is born."

Nuka nodded thoughtfully.

"Listen," Scar said, "You're still too young to be worrying about this, why don't you go play with the other cubs for a while instead?"

"Mother said I had to study... But I guess I could play a bit while she's not looking, huh?" he added, smiling brightly for a moment. "You won't tell?"

Scar shook his head. "Go ahead... By the way, when was the last time your mother cleaned you?" he said, looking at Nuka's matted fur.

"She doesn't really groom me anymore, so I try to clean myself," Nuka replied.

"You've missed a few spots, see if one of the older lionesses can groom you too, okay?"

Nuka nodded and stood up, shaking himself for a moment. "Okay, see ya!" he said as he gave Scar a sudden head-butt on the chin, and ran off towards the lionesses in cub duty.

Scar rubbed his chin with a paw for a moment, looking rather serious. He wondered why Zira felt the need to tell Nuka all these things, specially when he had not decided yet to train Nuka to follow his footsteps. He didn't feel like giving false hope to this weak little lion. He wished more and more for Ndani to come in season again so that they could give it another try and settle this heir business once and for all.

* * *

><p>The hunting party had traveled far and managed to spot a group of gazelles that were passing by in search for greener pastures. Taking advantage of the fact that there were several of them, the hyena escort in turn was getting ready to hunt something as well.<p>

Seeing that the hyenas were distracted planning their own hunting strategy, Sarabi took this opportunity to take Huria and Shada aside and discuss their plan further. They kept an eye on the rest of the hunting party and remained alert, while whispering to each other as quietly as possible.

"I still hate the idea of bringing you into trouble, Shada," Sarabi said.

"I told you it's okay. I am more worried about you, to be honest... You guys are the ones who will be risking the most, by facing the unknown."

Huria licked her chops in anticipation of the meal, but remained alert and attentive to her pride-mates conversation. "To think that this could be one of our last official hunting sessions together, at least for now..."

Shada swallowed, trying not to get too emotional right before the hunt.

"Will you tell the others?" Shada asked them, but Huria and Sarabi shook their heads.

"The less lionesses know about our plan, the better. But you can explain everything to them after we're gone."

"It's good to know too that if there is a confrontation when we return, that not all hyenas will be willing to join the fight. That will increase our chances considerably..." Sarabi said, after Shada had relayed what Mashavu had told her that day by the lake. The lionesses were forced to cut their conversation short when Karanga launched the attack, leading the lionesses towards the prey she had singled out.

Sarafina and Nala ran behind her, close together, and in no time the three lionesses had tackled down one of the gazelles, while the hyenas ran after the rest. The rest of the lionesses gathered together while Karanga choked the struggling gazelle, and guarded the prey against any other predators.

The hyenas managed to bring another gazelle down too and whooped excitedly, giving in to their frenzy and started eating the gazelle right there and then.

"Hey! We're going back to Pride Rock with or without you!" Sarabi yelled at them, and the hyena escort had no choice but to stop eating and drag their hunt back to their pack.

Once back in the Pride Lands, as Scar ate, the lionesses waited impatiently for their turn, but Nala noticed that Sarabi looked a bit absent and distant.

"Mom," she whispered in Sarafina's ear, "Sarabi looks a bit down, don't you think?"

Sarafina looked at her sister and had to agree with Nala. She approached Sarabi and sat down by her side. "Hey, Sarabi, is everything okay?"

Sarabi appeared to wake from her reverie and looked at Sarafina, smiling slightly. "Sure, I was just going over this dream I had last night; Mufasa was in it," she lied. The real reason why she was sad was that it hurt her so much to have to leave these lands, her Pride, and the memory of Mufasa behind.

While Sarafina comforted Sarabi, Nala noticed that Huria also appeared a bit subdued, and was acting rather friendly, even towards Ndani, for a change. Nala still had the feeling that the two lionesses were hiding something, as they spent a lot of time together lately, whispering to themselves while engaged in thorough grooming sessions that would last longer than usual.

Nala had noticed that they would stop talking if anyone got close enough, so she was sure that they were up to something, but she kept her thoughts to herself for now.

* * *

><p>It was a gloomy, overcast morning, when the lionesses returned from a long night of hunting, empty-handed. They were in a bad mood and tired. All those gazelles that were nearby had been brought down the previous days by the hyenas and there was nothing left behind but carcasses scattered all over the place.<p>

Sarabi and Huria knew their time was running out, and they would need to take action soon.

"Let's join the lionesses in a nap, we will need our energy later," Sarabi whispered, and Huria nodded in agreement.

The huntresses lay down huddled together, and grunted an unenthusiastic greeting when Scar approached them, hungry-looking, to find out the result of their hunting trip.

"Your hyenas finished the gazelles off in just a couple of days," Sarafina snarled at him, "Instead of harassing us, you should be talking to them."

Scar was taken aback for a moment, but before he could reply, Karanga walked to him and shook her head. "They're all in a terrible mood, trust me on this one," she whispered, "just let them rest for now."

Scar bared his teeth for a moment, but he realized Karanga was right, so he opted for walking away and hoped their bad temper would subside after a bit of rest. He went in search for the Outlanders and found them gnawing on some broken bones. The cubs were fast asleep, bundled together by Kahawia's tummy.

"Was there still some meat on those?" Scar asked them as he sat down by their side.

"No, but one of the hyenas cracked them open for us, the insides are delicious," Zira replied, and pushed a bone towards him with her nose.

Scar placed the bone between his paws and began licking the marrow on the inside, which was rather tasty indeed.

They gnawed on the bones quietly for a moment, but Scar finally told Zira, "We need to talk, about Nuka."

"What did he do this time?" she asked, nonplussed.

Scar stood up and motioned Zira to follow him.

Zira shrugged and followed the lion quietly, while the Outlanders and Ndani stayed behind, throwing curious glances at each other.

When they were alone, Scar turned to Zira and sat down. "I couldn't help but notice that Nuka believes he could become King one day. I have not spoken to him about it, at all, so I am wondering why you did it, without my consent."

Zira frowned. "I don't need your permission to educate my son the way I see fit."

"You deem fit giving him false hope?"

Zira rolled her eyes. "It's not false hope, it's the truth. I simply told him that he would need to study harder because there is a small chance that he could take over your place one day. Your own father didn't teach you anything as a cub, and seeing how you are not teaching Nuka anything either... It is my job to prepare him for the task. I just don't want him to end in the same position as you did."

"Don't you dare compare me to my father, Zira, you don't know what you're talking about," Scar snarled.

"It was merely an observation," the lioness replied, clearly not intimidated, "You need to accept that until Ndani or some other lioness produces a healthy heir, Nuka's the next best thing you've got."

Scar appeared thoughtful for a moment, and then looked at her. "You seem to think higher of him now than you did when he was younger."

Zira sighed deeply. "He's still a pest, but it's the only cub I'll ever have, I'll have to settle for him, I guess."

"Nuka's been trying hard to please you, he spends all day going through your teachings and barely has any time to play with the other cubs."

"He's not trying hard enough. I want him to be strong and be able to survive the way I did when I was young. Right now, he wouldn't last ten seconds out there. He needs to learn to focus. But if you think I'm doing a bad job at parenting here, why don't _you_ give it a go? Spend one day with him and if you don't feel like jumping off a cliff by the end of the day, then I'll eat my words and will let you have a say on the way I am raising him. But if you're not going to get involved, then let me do the job, and stop complaining. Do we have a deal?"

"Fine," Scar said as he stood up, "I'll take him with me on the next patrol round. We'll see if he's got any potential as future King."

Zira smirked. "Good luck, you're going to need it."

Scar walked back to Pride Rock and headed for the cave, while Zira walked back to her pride-mates and told them with a satisfied smile, "He'll take Nuka on patrol! Now let's hope this dumb cub won't blow it."

"Don't say that," Ndani said, "how do you expect him to amount to anything if you keep bringing him down like that?"

"He's asleep, Ndani."

"I'm not," came Nuka's muffled voice, lying under Jasiri and Malaika.

Zira didn't seem to be disturbed, and carried on as if nothing happened, "Well, you better go back to sleep then, Nuka, you have a long day ahead tomorrow. Scar is taking you on patrol."

"So I heard," Nuka said, still sounding hurt.

"You will do your best, and show him all I've taught you, understood?" she commanded, as the sleepy cub looked up at her through puffy eyes.

"Will do, mother," the cub droned.

Zira picked up the bone she had been gnawing on earlier and began eating again, as Kahawia and Ndani sighed and try to lullaby Nuka back to sleep.

The cub closed his eyes but only pretended to be asleep. He was so nervous about his day with Scar that there was no way he could go back to sleep anymore.

* * *

><p>The lionesses at Pride Rock woke up from their nap and started grooming each other. Sarabi and Huria quickly teamed up and eventually Shada joined them.<p>

"So, have you made up your mind?" Shada asked them quietly between licks.

"Yes, we're leaving tonight, then we get to avoid the heat of the desert at least for a few hours. Are you ready? Can we count on you?" Huria replied.

Shada grinned slightly. "I've been ready for days, of course you can count on me!"

Sarabi sighed deeply as she looked at the rest of her pride-mates, totally unaware of that they were about to do.

As the evening fell, a few lionesses went for a drink at the waterhole, the rest stayed behind trying to entertain the cubs, who were a lot more quiet and less energetic than usual. The lack of food was getting to them and their ribs were starting to show.

Nala tried to engage Nyota and Maua in a game of tag, but gave up when the cubs snuggled besides Anasa instead, who was going to tell them a story about the Kings of the Past.

It worried Nala that the cubs were not in the mood for games. Sighing, the lioness sat down and listened to Anasa as she tried to tell a story while nursing Nyota.

"Have I told you about King Kafil, who went on a trip- ow! On a trip with the wildebeest- OW! Nyota, what is the matter?" Anasa said, grimacing in pain and glancing down at the nursing cub, "Be more gentle, please!"

Nyota looked up. "But mom! Nothing's coming out!"

Anasa stared as Nyota tried to suckle again, and realized that her milk was depleting. The lack of food was getting to the nursing mothers as well, and affected their milk production.

Mahali motioned Nyota towards her. "Come here, sweetie, I still have milk, I'll feed you."

As Nyota nursed from another lioness, the rest of the Pride looked at each other with worried expressions.

"I think we can all agree that the nursing mothers will have first pick, after Scar," Sarafina told them, "They need to sustain themselves and their cubs, so it's only fair."

Everyone agreed. Sarabi and Huria glanced at each other, and with a flick of the ears, Sarabi put their plan in motion.

"Huria, Shada and I will go check this place where Zazu told us he spotted some meerkats or gophers. It's not much, but every little helps..."

"Shall we come with you?" Sita offered, but Huria and Sarabi shook their heads.

"Don't worry, it's small prey, we can manage."

Sarabi walked to Sarafina and gave her a quick nuzzle. "I'll see you later. Take care, you promise?"

Sarafina nuzzled her back, a bit confused by Sarabi's request. "Um, sure... You won't be long, will you?"

Sarabi shook her head. "It's not far," she said with a smile. She then addressed the whole pride. "We'll try to be back soon, in the meantime, hang on and be strong."

The lionesses nodded at her, and the pride watched them leave, but soon their worries shifted back to the fact that the nursing mothers were running out of milk, so they didn't think much of Sarabi's awkward good-bye.

Nala was the only one who didn't feel like sitting there while doing nothing. She wanted to help and make a difference. After much pondering, the lioness peeked down Pride Rock to see which direction Sarabi and the others had taken, but she could not see them anymore.

Nala appeared thoughtful for a while, and spotted Zazu, who was perched on one of the trees close to Pride Rock. She had an idea, and walked to Sarafina.

"Mom, I'll be right back, I'm just going for a walk, okay?"

Sarafina raised an eyebrow, noticing how Nala was not asking for permission anymore. She couldn't help but laugh a bit. "On your own? Shall I go with you?"

Nala chuckled. "You're still worried about me, even though I'm a grown-up already? Do you want Zazu to go with me, like when I was a cub?"

Sarafina laughed out loud. "It's not a bad idea, you know..." she said, nuzzling Nala lovingly.

Nala nuzzled her mother back. "Don't worry mom, I'll be back soon. And to put you at ease, I'll ask Zazu to go with me."

Sarafina smiled. "All right then. Er... Is everything okay?"

Nala whispered, "I just feel like going to my spot by the gorge, that's all."

Sarafina understood, she probably wanted to have a chat with Simba, and didn't question her any further. "I'll see you later, dear."

Nala walked away, and Sarafina watched with satisfaction as the young lioness headed in the direction of Zazu and engaged him in conversation. She smiled to herself as she saw them leaving together, and walked back to the rest of the Pride.

* * *

><p>"It's been forever since you've asked me to go with you somewhere... I thought you were too old for this?" Zazu asked Nala animatedly.<p>

"The truth is, I kinda need your help..." Nala said, "Sarabi, Huria and Shada went out there to this place you told them, and I really want to help with the hunt, and bring back as much food as possible. Could you guide me, or tell me where it is?"

Zazu blinked a few times and landed on Nala's shoulder. "Huh? This place I told them? What place would that be?"

Nala stopped on her tracks and glanced at Zazu. "Er... The place with the gophers, or meerkats, or such?"

Zazu looked completely clueless. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Nala. I haven't seen gophers or meerkats around here in months..."

The lioness looked very worried all of a sudden.

"What's going on, Nala?" Zazu asked, landing in front of her, looking worried too after seeing her shocked expression.

"They are up to something! I knew it! And Sarabi's good-bye... Oh, dear! Zazu, I think they might try to escape!"

Zazu shook his head. "It's impossible! The borders have never been this tight!"

"I know, I saw them during my first hunt, no one can walk through without Scar's permission!"

"Should we alert the others?" Zazu asked.

Nala thought for a moment, but shook her head. "We might put them in danger if we bring attention to their plan. No. Let's go, you and I alone. You'll fly above me, and as soon as you spot them, perhaps you can distract my hyena escort somehow... tell them you saw a zebra or a rogue lion..."

Zazu nodded, looking a bit excited to be part of this, after not having had any action in years.

The bird followed Nala as she approached the hyenas nearby and asked them, "I'm going for a walk, who's going with me?"

"Don't you guys ever stay put?" was the reply of a female hyena Nala didn't know by name. After some arguing amongst her clan mates, the hyena stood up and shook herself and pointed to another one. "You, you comin' with me," she ordered.

The other hyena grunted as well, also not in the mood for walks.

"Some lionesses left earlier, any idea which way they went?" Nala asked them.

The hyena pointed with a paw, towards the north.

"Oh, drat, I'm headed that way too... I hope we won't disturb them, they were going to hunt for gophers. Can we just try and be really quiet, so as not to scare them away?"

"Sure, whatever," the hyena replied through a noisy yawn, and the three of them left in the direction of the northern border.

Zazu flew above them, keeping an eye on the surroundings, but everything appeared to be normal, quiet and calm. "The calm before the storm, so it seems..." the bird thought to himself, "Oh Mufasa, wherever you are, watch over your Queen, as she's about to do something very, very dangerous."


	19. Scar's Wrath

_Chapter 19_

**Scar's Wrath**

Sarabi, Huria and Shada walked quietly, escorted by four grumpy hyenas who would have also preferred to stay home, but they became less apathetic when they heard that they would be looking for gophers.

"I think this might be the place... Now, everyone, be quiet and see if you can spot a trail."

As the lionesses pretended to look, and eventually got the hyenas interested too, Shada started breathing a bit heavier, and groaned every now and then.

"Cut it out, you're gonna scare the prey!" one of the hyenas hissed, rolling her eyes.

Sarabi walked to her pride-mate looking concerned. "Are you okay? You don't look too good..."

Shada shook her head. "I feel very nauseous all of a sudden, and my stomach hurts... I think I might have gotten Sita's horrible tummy disease."

"Well, Rafiki did say it was rather contagious... And seeing how you were grooming Sita earlier... I think you'd better go back home, cause you could spread it to us, and to the hyenas too..."

The hyena escort pricked their ears and stared at Shada, who had now started to retch.

"No... No I'll be fine, I just need to-" she interrupted herself as she took a few steps and retched some more, in the direction of the hyenas.

"Get away from us! We don't want no nasty lion disease!" they said as they tried to stay away from the sick lioness.

"I just need to throw up, and then I'll feel a lot better... Really..."

"Get away, I said!" replied a hyena, avoiding Shada like the plague.

The lioness kept staggering towards them, retching, coughing and complaining louder.

"I... I think I'll have the runs..." Shada said, rubbing her tummy with a paw.

The hyenas groaned. "Oh, gross, did we really need to know that? Go do your business somewhere else! And stay there! You're gonna scare all them gophers with your noise n' your stench!"

"Okay... But... Who'll escort me?" Shada said, grimacing in pain.

One hyena snorted and laughed. "Escort yourself on this one missy, after all, we do allow you lionesses some privacy when you go do your business!"

Huria walked to the hyenas, "I think it's better if she just heads home. She's in no state to hunt. Will no one escort her back?"

The hyenas looked thoughtful for a moment, but Shada's groans and retching motions had the desired effect.

"I think she can find her way back home on her own, can't she?" a hyena replied.

"You heard them, Shada... Just go home and take care of yourself," Sarabi told the lioness, who was now rolling on the floor, complaining from heavy stomach cramps.

"Okay... I'll... Oh, man, the pain... I'll... see you guys later..." she said, and limped away in an awkward fashion.

The hyenas watched her leave. "Man, some disease she's got... How do we know we didn't catch it?"

"You won't know, until the pain starts. The good thing is, it doesn't last long, it comes as fast as it goes..." Huria replied, trying not to smirk. "Now, let's be quiet again and concentrate, see if we can pick up any scents..."

Sarabi and Huria bent over, pretending to sniff the ground, while their ears were perked up, alert to any sound.

Shada sneaked away and once she was out of earshot, she stopped retching and complaining, and sneaked away as stealthily as she could muster.

Hiding amongst the dead, brown grasses, the lioness climbed up a small hill, where she had a clear view of Huria and Sarabi below, plus the hyenas escorting them, and the hyenas by the border. The lack of grass by the borders meant that there would be no way for Huria and Sarabi to sneak past unseen. There was simply no place to camouflage themselves. Huria and Sarabi would have to run for it, and hope for the best.

Shada sighed deeply. "Okay, so I guess this is it..." The lioness took a deep breath, and she produced the distress call she had learned from Mashavu, as loud as she could.

Shada belted out the call several times. She wasn't very sure that she had gotten it completely right, but she saw with satisfaction that the hyena escort, as well as the hyenas by the border, had immediately reacted to it, and were heading her way. From the dozens of hyenas at the borders, only a couple remained behind. Getting past them would be a lot easier now.

"Good luck, girls, the rest is up to you now," she whispered.

Shada quickly climbed down the hill, and ran away. She stopped by the area where they had been looking for gophers, forced herself to throw up, and lay down nearby, ready to reproduce the call again, or play sick in case any hyenas would find her.

She could hear distant voices, and since the hyenas were shouting to each other, Shada could actually hear some of the things they were saying.

"It came from around here, I'm sure!"

"But it didn't sound quite like our call, did it? I mean, I'm not so sure of what I heard anymore..."

"Yeah... It sounded kinda choked up, kinda like a hyena who's having an animal going at its throat or somethin'..."

"Well, I don't smell any hyenas nearby, do you?"

"No, but I do smell a lioness," came Shenzi's voice, clear as day. "I don't trust this..."

"Shenzi! Look! The border! There's two lionesses fighting and trying to get past the guards that stayed behind!" exclaimed one of the hyenas.

Shada pricked her ears, her heart beating faster and faster.

"Oh, those filthy, lousy- " Shenzi started to say, but interrupted herself by screaming a strange call that Shada had not heard before. The lioness felt the ground trembling around her as literally the whole clan rushed to Shenzi.

"You guys over there there, see if you can find the lioness we've smelled. The rest, come with me, to the border!" Shada heard Shenzi say.

"Oh no... They won't make it against the whole clan..." Shada thought, and disregarding her own safety, the lioness tried out the distress call again, but the hyenas ignored it completely.

Shada paced back and forth, not knowing what to do. She was about to try the distress call one more time but was startled when she heard a voice right behind her.

"Don't bother... Shenzi's call means that there's an impostor around, and the clan won't listen to no one but her. If you keep makin' that noise, the search party s'only gonna find you faster."

The lioness turned quickly, and saw Mashavu approaching her.

"Mashavu... I- I am sorry, it-" Shada stammered, feeling that she had betrayed her hyena friend in a way.

"So this was your master plan?" Mashavu interrupted, "Distract the hyenas by the border with the distress call, so that those two lionesses could go through?"

Shada knew it was no use to lie to her at this point and nodded, trembling as the adrenaline rushed through her body.

"Wow, no wonder you were so interested in getting it right that day... Had I known, I'd have taught you to yell somethin' funny instead," the hyena said, a mischievous grin crossing her face for a moment.

Shada took a deep breath and whispered, "I'm really sorry, Masha. I know I crossed the line. But the Pride is growing very restless, and we felt desperate times needed desperate measures..."

Mashavu stared at the lioness, her expression suddenly hard to read. "Listen, it's in my best interest that the search party don't find you. If they manage to squeeze outta you that it was me who taught you the call, I won't hear the end of it. Actually, I'll be _so_ dead, I won't even hear the _start _of it."

"Mashavu, I won't tell anyone-"

The hyena interrupted Shada again, with more urgency this time. "Don't waste time, Shada! Everyone's headin' this way; the clan has abandoned their posts to come here after hearing Shenzi's call. So if someone else were to sneak out _now_, through another route, they would practically have free passage. You understand what I mean?"

Shada nodded, realizing she would have to take Huria and Sarabi's place and cross the desert on her own.

"Thanks, Masha..." the lioness said and turned around to leave, but as she went into a sprint, she tripped on a rock that was hidden under some dead grass, and groaned in pain, this time for real.

The lioness cursed out loud. She tried to get up but placing weight on her right paw caused her pain. She tried to run but there was no way she could reach her top speed. She wouldn't make it across the desert this way.

"Oh for cryin' out loud!" Mashavu told her as she caught up with the lioness, "Hurry up! What are you waiting for?"

"I twisted my paw! I won't make it like this..."

The hyena cursed along with her and looked around, trying to come up with an idea, but nothing came to her.

For a brief moment, Shada had lost all hope, when all of a sudden Zazu landed next to her. "Oh dear, you're hurt... Hang on, Nala is coming!" he told her.

"Nala... Could she...? She's young, healthy and strong..." Shada whispered to Mashavu.

"Whatever you decide to do, you gotta do it quick!" the hyena replied, as she heard the voices of her pack-mates coming closer.

Shortly after, Nala reached the spot where Shada was lying. "Shada, what is going on? Why are the hyenas flocking this way? Even my escort abandoned me and headed for the border!"

Shada looked at Mashavu, and they both nodded at each other, clearly thinking the same thing.

The lioness sat up straight, keeping her injured paw from touching the ground.

"Listen, Nala... Sarabi and Huria were going to escape tonight. I was only here to create a diversion, so that they could cross the borders, but everything's gone wrong. The clan's got them, and they're also searching for me. I can't get away with this busted paw, so it's only a matter of time..."

Nala gasped. "What can we do? Can I help somehow? Maybe I can try to carry you away on my back?"

Shada shook her head and took a deep breath. With a trembling voice she said, "Nala, honey, if you are willing to help, then I must ask you to do something very important, for us, for the Pride."

Nala nodded and listened intently.

"That place the buzzard told you about, it really exists. We heard about it from other sources too. We need you to go there, and find help. Bring back some allies who are willing to stand up to the hyenas in the border, so that we can create a safe passage for the rest of the lionesses and the cubs. Can you do that, Nala?"

Nala looked very uneasy. "Allies? What sort of allies?"

"Anyone who's willing to help stop this nonsense, it doesn't matter..." Shada replied with a sad little smile.

"But... My mother, I told her I'd be back soon-"

"I'll explain everything to her. Please, Nala, we're running out of time... You have to decide now."

Mashavu nodded and added, "Quick! The search party's coming, you have to leave!"

Nala still looked very hesitant. She knew that the three lionesses had been up to something, but she didn't think she would get involved too, to this extent. The thought of leaving her pride-mates had never crossed Nala's mind, and now she had to make such an important decision with no time to think things over.

"I know it is a huge thing I'm asking from you, Nala," Shada told her, "but we're losing hope here. You saw it yourself this morning. It's started already; the cubs' ribs are sticking out and the mothers can't produce enough milk to feed them. We _have _to do something!"

Nala had to agree, the situation at the Pride Lands was becoming more and more serious by the minute.

Shada pressed on, "Although our original plan failed, I've still managed to open the borders so that someone can sneak out. I was actually going to do it myself, but... " She lifted her injured paw, which had started to swell from the wrist.

"You gotta hurry!" Mashavu hissed, "Don't take this border; go past the gorge and take the other side! Do it now, while you still can!"

Nala swallowed with difficulty and nodded. "Okay... I'll do it. I'll try my best! Please tell my mom I love her-"

"Just go now, dammit!" Mashavu snarled.

Shada nodded quickly. "Will do, I promise! Godspeed and see you again soon!"

Nala turned around and ran away, her heart pounding on her chest in a mixture of excitement and fear.

Zazu, who had followed the conversation with eyes wide open, simply took off and headed in the direction that Nala took, keeping an eye on her from above.

As Nala ran in the direction Mashavu told her, the lioness thought, "I followed Sarabi and Huria wanting to make a difference, and I have been given this chance... I can't disappoint them..."

The feelings of fear gave way to determination, and making sure no hyenas were following her, the lioness ran as fast as she could, disappearing quickly into the distance.

As she went past the gorge, she glanced sideways as she ran and said, "Sorry, Simba, no time to stop and chat today, but I'll tell you all about it when I get back!"

And with that optimistic thought in her mind giving her strength, the lioness kept running and crossed the border, unhindered.

* * *

><p>Mashavu paced back and forth several times, muttering to herself... "What to do... What to do... Oh, I know!" And all of a sudden, she bit into her own paw, making it bleed.<p>

"What in the world are you doing? Why don't you just go and leave me here?" Shada asked her, with tears in her eyes after seeing her friend depart.

"They'll know I was here. So I'm trying to save our asses!" Mashavu whispered, "Now play along!"

Shada was about to say something when one of the search parties stumbled upon them.

"What too you so frickin' long?" Mashavu snapped at them.

The hyenas looked puzzled, staring from the injured lioness to the bleeding hyena in confusion.

"I got jumped on by some dirty jackal and even Shada came to my rescue faster than you guys!" Mashavu stood up and showed the hyenas her bleeding paw. "He got me good, see?"

"Wait a minute... You sayin' you launched the distress call?" a hyena asked.

"Of course I did, who else? Her?" Mashavu said, pointing at the startled lioness. "She heard me and came to check it out and managed to scare the jackal away while injuring her own paw in the process. And where were you?"

The search-party was not totally convinced and muttered amongst themselves, wondering what to do. Finally, one of them said, "Come with us, we'll see what Shenzi has to say about this. Oh, and she's coming too," the hyena added, pointing to Shada. "Them lionesses are acting really weird, seems two of them tried to cross the border just now!"

Mashavu did an excellent job at pretending to be surprised. Shada would have laughed but the truth is she was terrified, not knowing what would happen to her, to her pride-mates, and whether Nala had made it safely through the border or not.

The search party escorted Mashavu and Shada to where Shenzi and the rest of the clan had gathered. Shada felt a pang of anger and despair when she saw how several hyenas had pinned Sarabi and Huria down. Both lionesses were immobilized.

As Shada came closer, she could see that the lionesses were bleeding slightly, and appeared defeated and out of breath. They looked at Shada as if apologizing for having messed up the plan.

"Hey, Shenzi, I found these two near the place where we heard the alarm," the hyena from the search-party said, "Mashavu here says it was her who made the distress call."

Shenzi turned to Mashavu, eying her suspiciously.

"Is that so?" Shenzi asked, circling the young hyena.

"Yes! A jackal had me pinned down and I called for you guys but no one came, except her! We both got hurt, so cut us some slack will ya?" Mashavu said, being her usual cheeky self, trying to keep up appearances. The hyena was doing her best to pretend that she was not scared.

Shenzi frowned as she sniffed Mashavu for a moment. "I smell no trace of jackal on you, but we did trace back the scent of this lioness on the area where the distress call was heard. My, my, are you actually risking your life to save her neck?" she asked, grinning deviously.

Mashavu snorted. "Oh, come on! She's okay and all, but not _that _okay. Besides, Scar's the only lion who knows how to make the call. You don't think he went around teaching it to his lionesses, do ya?"

As she said this, the rest of the Trouble-Makers did a good job at staying in the background and not bring attention to themselves. They knew very well that Mashavu had taught the call to Shada, but they had agreed not to tell anyone. Teaching the distress call to someone else was not something the hyenas took lightly; it actually took several clan meetings before the hyenas had agreed to teach it to Scar. The Trouble-Makers knew Mashavu would be severely punished if the truth came out.

"I'll deal with you later," Shenzi whispered to the younger hyena, and then walked to Shada.

"Listen up, you chumps! Who was escorting this lioness?" Shenzi demanded.

The hyenas who had gone with the lionesses in search for gophers stepped forward. "Um... We were... We were escorting all three of them," one of them said, looking rather uneasy, "but she got really sick all of a sudden, the other two lionesses said it was very contagious. We didn't want to catch her disease..."

"Idiots... Does she look sick to you now?" Shenzi growled.

The hyenas shook their heads, growling after realizing that Shada had tricked them.

The lioness shook her head. "I really felt sick! I told you, I just needed to throw up and I would feel better, but you guys sent me home instead! I can show you where I got sick, if you want proof!" Shada told the hyenas in general.

"Shut up," Shenzi said, not believing a word of it, "Banzai, Ed, run ahead and tell Scar what happened. We'll escort these three back to Pride Rock, and we'll see what he has to say about this little trick they tried to pull off."

Banzai and Ed nodded and turned around, rushing towards Pride Rock.

Sarabi let out a deep sigh and stared at the horizon longingly. They had been so close, if only Shenzi hadn't called the rest of the clan...

All of a sudden, Sarabi perked her ears and opened her eyes wide. She blinked several times to make sure she was not imagining things. But it was clear that in the distance, far away across the desert, a lioness was running away from the Pride Lands.

Sarabi, still pinned down by several hyenas, didn't want to risk them noticing this too, so she used the silent language the huntresses used while during the hunt. The lioness raised her tail for a moment and flicked it several times, attracting Huria's attention.

Sarabi flicked her ears and tail once more, and casually pointed her nose in the direction where she had seen the lioness running.

Huria looked and perked her ears too. Her reaction confirmed to Sarabi that it was not a mirage. Someone, they didn't know who, had made it across the border somehow, and was running away unseen.

The two lionesses eyed each other and tried as hard as they could to conceal a smile.

"Okay, let them up," Shenzi ordered, and the hyenas released the two lionesses, who stood up slowly, glancing casually in the horizon, as the golden shape of the lioness running away became smaller and smaller.

As they were getting ready to make their way to Pride Rock, Ed and Banzai came running back as fast as they could, followed by Asani this time, and almost crashed into Shenzi.

"Huh? What are you guys doing here? What part of _'go tell Scar' _didn't you get?" Shenzi growled.

"I just heard from Asani that he already knows, and it seems we're in trouble. He's royally pissed!" Banzai said.

"Trouble? What are you talkin' about? I got everything under control!" Shenzi replied, pointing at the three captive lionesses.

Banzai shook his head. "Problem is all lionesses are accounted for, except one. Seems most hyenas left their posts when they heard the distress call, so if she's actually escaped, she could be anywhere by now!"

Shenzi was about to order the hyenas to go search the surroundings, but Sarabi, determined to help the lioness that had escaped, decided to create a diversion of her own, and buy that lioness more time.

"You can't hold us prisoners in our own lands," Sarabi said as she bared her teeth, "If we want to leave, then we will!" She lashed with her paw at the hyena that was closest to her, which turned out to be Banzai.

He had not been expecting the defeated-looking lioness to strike so suddenly, and he winced in pain as Sarabi's sharp claws pierced the skin of his shoulder.

There was an uproar as several hyenas pounced on Sarabi at once, trying to subdue her.

Sarabi struggled and lashed again, this time catching Shenzi's leg. The hyena yelped and slapped Sarabi hard in return.

"Sarabi! What the hell are you doing?" Huria asked her in shock, just as several hyenas jumped on top of her, as well as on Shada, to prevent them from helping Sarabi.

Sarabi ignored Huria and kept on struggling and keeping the hyenas occupied. Eventually, the weight of several hyenas on top of her was more than she could handle, and she gave up, feeling exhausted. Still, Sarabi managed to peek at the horizon through the heavy mass of hyena paws and fur, and she smiled to herself when she saw that the running lioness had disappeared. The hyenas would have a harder time finding her now, not knowing which direction she went.

"Get up!" Shenzi ordered her as the hyenas released her one by one, "And no more funny business, you hear? Next time we'll use our teeth, you've been warned!" Shenzi clicked her jaws in front of Sarabi's face, who looked away in disgust.

"Everyone who was in border duty, go back to your posts," Shenzi went on, "Asani, organize a search party and see if you can follow the trail of the missing lioness. We'll go back to Scar."

Asani nodded and gathered a group of her followers to go looking for the lioness. However, the hyenas were so concentrated on trying to find the escaped lioness, that no one noticed that while the security on the borders was gone, a couple of intruders had managed to make their way into the Pride Lands.

Two rogue lions had made their way into Scar's territory, unaware that these lands actually belonged to him. That side of the border was patrolled by the hyenas, and as such, the lions could only detect hyena markings around them.

They took shelter in a small cave and lay down to rest, taking turns in keeping guard, in case any hyenas would come along to give them trouble.

* * *

><p>Shenzi and Banzai led the way back to Pride Rock, both complaining from the injuries Sarabi had caused them.<p>

"We should have given her at least one good bite! It's self-defense after all, ain't it?" Banzai growled, his shoulder throbbing in pain with every step he took.

Ed laughed as he made fun of the way Shenzi was limping.

"Cut it out, Ed!" she snarled.

"Yeah, Ed, let's see you laugh when you go hungry and we can't go hunt 'cause this hurts like hell!"

Shenzi started chuckling to herself, despite the pain. Even Ed gave her a puzzled look. "Banzai, you've just given me an idea... I'll just have to see if I can pull it off with Scar."

"Uh oh... You've got that look on your face..." Banzai said, giving her an evil smile, but he didn't question her any further.

Behind them, the lionesses walked with their heads hanging low, and tried to speak as soft as possible.

"I wonder who it was... No one knew but us! I didn't tell anyone else... did you?" Huria whispered.

Sarabi shook her head slightly. They both turned to the limping Shada, and gave her an inquisitive look.

"It's like this... After Shenzi called the clan and your escape got blocked, I decided I would try and escape myself. But then I went and hurt my paw. That's when Nala ran into me..."

Sarabi gasped, but hushed quickly as she saw some hyenas glancing in her direction.

Shada went on, "She seemed keen to help, so I decided to tell her about our plan and asked her if she wanted to take it over... She was not sure at first but in the end she accepted and ran for it. I have no idea if she's made it through..."

"She did. We saw her in the distance," Huria replied, and Shada sighed in relief.

"May the Kings of the Past look down on her and protect her..." she whispered.

"Sarafina's going to kill me," Sarabi said, feeling even worse now for having failed to escape. She knew Nala must have had very little time to make up her mind, while Huria and herself had months to mentally prepare for this.

"I think right now we'll have to worry more about Scar..." Huria added, "But with some luck he'll banish us!"

Shenzi turned to look at them over her shoulder and snarled, "You three, be quiet!"

The lionesses hushed again and became more and more nervous as they approached Pride Rock. They could see Scar standing on the promontory, looking very displeased, to say the least.

As they finally made their way up to Pride Rock, Scar descended from the promontory to go meet them.

The Pride-Landers were already gathered together, looking rather confused, as Scar had not told them yet why he had summoned them. All they could see is that the lion was in a very foul mood.

The mothers were trying to reassure their cubs, who could not understand what was going on, or why Scar was so angry, but they could sense the tension around them all the same.

The Outlanders were gathered nearby too, and looked around expectantly, wondering what all the commotion was about. Even Nuka was sitting still, after seeing how mad Scar was, and he wondered whether he'd still be in the mood to take him on patrol the next morning.

Only Ndani was absent, having excused herself earlier that day. She had woken up feeling quite moody, and said she wanted to be alone. The hyenas had confirmed that she had been around the waterhole most of the time.

Sarabi, Huria and Shada eventually joined their pride-mates, looking quite embarrassed, like cubs that were caught doing something they shouldn't be doing. No one said anything, but given the battered state of the three lionesses, the pride assumed that they had had a fight of some sort with the hyenas.

Karanga and Tahlili walked to Shada and inspected the wound on her paw. They questioned her about what happened in hushed voices, but Shada remained silent.

Shenzi and her siblings stood behind Scar, who was now pacing back and forth in front of his lionesses.

"I know shouldn't be surprised, yet I am," Scar said, addressing the Pride in general, his voice rather venomous, "I would have expected this from Sarabi and Huria, but not from you, Shada. And I least expected it from Nala. I spared her life, and this is how she pays me back? I feel extremely disappointed, and this goes to show that I cannot trust any one of you."

Sarafina frowned, wondering what Nala had to do with all this. "What is going on? Can someone explain? And just where is Nala?" she asked.

"Oh, am I to believe that you don't know?" Scar asked her sarcastically as he continued to pace from one side to another.

Sarafina looked from Scar to the three guilty-looking lionesses, as if waiting for an explanation.

Sarabi finally looked up and took a step forward, saying firmly, "Scar, don't take it out on them. They have nothing to do with what happened."

"Will someone actually tell us _what_ happened?" Karanga demanded.

"Enlighten them, will you?" Scar snarled at Sarabi.

Sarabi gave the lionesses a very abridged version of events, simply telling them that they had gone looking for gophers and in the spur of the moment she and Huria had decided to take advantage of a hyena sending the distress call, to try and get past the other hyenas by the border.

Shenzi took a step forward and addressed Shada. "We still think it was you who did it. I want to know which hyena taught you that call. It was that damn Trouble-Maker, wasn't it?"

"I didn't make the call, it was Mashavu, you heard her!" Shada replied, sticking to Mashavu's story.

As Shada and Shenzi argued, the Pride-Landers looked at each other and exchanged their thoughts, whispering softly. They already suspected that this had not been planned 'in the spur of the moment', as Sarabi had said. The Pride started tying two and two together, and suddenly Sarabi, Huria and Shada's attitude the past few days made a lot more sense.

They now knew why they spent so much time together lately, probably planning their escape; why Shada was excused from the hunts, perhaps to mingle with the hyenas more and learn the distress call; why Sarabi and Huria were so sad and mellow the past few days, probably feeling terrible about leaving. The only thing that did not fit in the whole picture was Nala.

Sarafina was getting very restless. She had thought that Nala had been by the gorge all this time but now she was afraid there was more to it than just paying a visit to the place where Simba had died.

"Sarabi, what does Nala have to do with all this? Where is my daughter?" Sarafina spoke up, exasperated, drowning out Shenzi and Shada's argument.

Scar looked at Sarafina. If she was indeed pretending, she was making a rather good job at looking genuinely worried.

Sarabi turned to Sarafina. "Actually, we don't know where Nala is," she said, feeling terrible for having to lie to her sister for now, "She was not with us; the hyena escort can also confirm this. She was not part of the plan. Maybe she just went for a walk? Besides, Ndani's not here either and I don't see anyone making a fuss..."

"Ndani's been spotted by the waterhole. But Nala's nowhere to be found," Scar snarled.

"It makes no sense..." Sarafina said, pacing for a moment, looking thoughtful. She finally stopped in front of Scar and looked deep into his eyes. "If she wanted to escape, she would have done so during her first hunt; when she had your permission to cross the borders!"

Scar looked back at her silently, trying to figure out whether she was lying to him or not.

"I swear, Scar, she didn't say anything to me," Sarafina insisted, "The last thing I heard from her was that she would go to the gorge, to pay a visit to Simba's resting place. She was not acting weird or unusual, no strange good-byes or anything that could tip me off that she was not planning on coming back!"

Scar looked away, both lions caught in a certain tension that only Mahali, knowing Sarafina's secret, could understand.

"The hyenas have sent a search party to look for her. You might want to pray to all the Kings of the Past that they find her within the Pride Lands," Scar told her through clenched teeth, and walked away, leaving Sarafina in the verge of tears.

"Time to set new rules," Scar said addressing the Pride again, "Up until now, one of the agreements I made with the hyenas was that they are not allowed to harm you. Well, I hereby grant permission to the hyenas to _kill _anyone attempting to cross the borders, with the exception of the Queen and the Outlanders."

The lionesses gasped, the horror of the thought clearly visible in their expressions. Even the Outlanders looked disgusted, except for Zira, who was clinging to every word Scar said, imagining what it would be like to be able to instill fear like that and control a whole Pride without having to resort to physical violence himself.

The Pride protested all at once, but Scar raised his voice. "Don't snap at me, you have these three lionesses to thank for!"

Shenzi walked to Scar and whispered something in his ear. A thin smile appeared on his face as he addressed the Pride again. "Shenzi here tells me that you also broke the part of the pact where we had agreed that the lionesses wouldn't harm the hyenas."

Shenzi and Banzai walked forward and displayed their injuries to Scar. He inspected the cuts; the deep claw-marks were no doubt made by a leonine paw.

"How are we gonna hunt like this? How are we gonna provide for Ed, who cannot hunt for himself?" Shenzi said, "I demand some sort of compensation for this."

Scar looked at the lionesses thoughtfully for a moment. "Sarabi, as part of your punishment, your hunting party will have to make sure to bring food for the Pride and for these two hyenas and their brother, who depends on them for food. If you fail to hunt enough, then they will have first pick after me and Ndani. Is that clear?"

Sarabi's eyes opened wide as there was another uproar from the Pride.

Banzai whispered in Shenzi's ear, "You're a damn genius!"

"There's barely enough to feed ourselves, how do you expect us to hunt for them too?" Sarabi yelled, to make herself heard over all the commotion.

"You should have thought about that before attacking them and impairing their hunting abilities," Scar said calmly.

"But how are we-"

"One more word out of your mouth, and you will regret it, Sarabi, mark my words," Scar said, baring his teeth at her.

The lioness looked angrier than she ever did before, but rejoined the startled Pride quietly.

It was at that moment, that Asani's search party returned. "Scar, we managed to trace the trail of the missing lioness," Asani told him.

Sarafina pricked her ears, looking at the hyena hopefully.

"And? did she leave the Pride Lands or not?" Scar asked.

Asani nodded. "We followed her scent all the way to the desert, but the wind's shifted the sand and the trail's lost. We have no idea which direction she took."

Scar growled deeply and looked at Sarafina, who was clearly in shock, not being able to grasp the idea of her daughter being gone.

"The new rule will apply to her too," the lion said, trying to contain his anger, "If that lioness ever decides to return and cross the border to get back in, the hyenas have my permission to dispose of her."

"No!" Sarafina yelled at him, "Scar, please, you can't banish her! Reconsider!" she added, finally bursting into tears.

Sarabi closed her eyes tight as tears also streamed down her face.

Shada felt even worse, since she was the one who got Nala involved, and was now sobbing uncontrollably on Karanga's shoulder.

The pride huddled together, trying to comfort the crying lionesses.

"You're dismissed, and I hope you've all learned your lesson. Now get out of my sight."

The lionesses walked away towards the acacias, looking quite depressed. Only Sarafina remained behind.

She approached Scar and tried to make him change his mind. "Scar, please, about Nala-"

"I should have killed her when I had the chance," he growled.

"Don't say that, please, you're just angry right now, I know you don't mean it," Sarafina said, trying to soothe him.

"Don't presume to know what I mean or not, Sarafina. Now back off, before I lose my patience."

At that moment, Ndani came running to him. "Scar! Hey, good news, I think I may-" but she interrupted herself when he saw Sarafina nearby, and Scar looking extremely upset.

"Okay... what did I miss?" Ndani asked, looking confused.

"Go to the rest of the lionesses, they will explain. Take this one with you," Scar told her, motioning with his head towards Sarafina.

"Scar, please, reconsider, I beg you... " Sarafina whispered.

Scar simply turned around and walked away without another word.

"Hey, Scar, wait! Scar!" Ndani called and ran after him.

"Not now, Ndani. Now it's me who wants to be left alone, for a change," he snarled.

Ndani stopped for a moment, but tried again, "No, Scar, listen, the thing is I'm-"

"I said NOT NOW, damn it!" he snapped at her, baring his teeth.

Ndani was taken aback by his aggression, and simply watched as he ran away from her, without giving her the chance to explain that she had figured out why she felt so moody the past few days.

"Damn... Just what did you do to him?" She asked, looking angrily at Sarafina.

Sarafina ignored her younger sister and walked away towards where the Pride-Landers had settled down. Ndani went to meet with the Outlanders, who filled the Queen in on what had happened earlier.

Once Sarafina had rejoined the Pride, Sarabi explained to the lionesses exactly what had really happened, what the original plan was, and how Nala had gotten involved in the end.

Sarafina was crying inconsolably, and she couldn't get rid of the image in her mind of Nala lying in the middle of the desert, dying from heat and exhaustion. Sarabi and Huria tried to reassure her that the birds they had spoken to said there were some oasis along the way that made the journey possible.

"We're really sorry, we didn't want to get you all involved, much less have Scar punish you all because of us..." Sarabi told them, trying to be strong, but her eyes were moist with tears too.

As they tried to comfort each other, Zazu came flying and landed next to them.

"Zazu!" Shada exclaimed, having forgotten all about him for a moment. "Didn't you go with Nala?"

The bird nodded and patted Sarafina's paw with his hand. "I did, but she asked me to come back to tell you that she was going to be all right. She even has had something to eat and to drink along the way, and now she's following the route that will lead her to the jungle."

The lionesses looked at him. "Have you heard of that place too, then?" Sarabi asked him.

Zazu nodded. "Never been there myself, but I know that rogue lions travel back and forth all the time. It's a tough journey, but not impossible."

Sarafina dried her face with a paw, glad to hear that Nala was doing okay and on her way to a better place.

"Let's just hope she can find help soon, I don't know how much longer we can go on this way..." Anasa said as she groomed her own cub, looking very worried.

That night, to make it clear that the lionesses were extremely displeased with the turn of events, the Pride-Landers decided not to sleep in the cave anymore, and they all agreed to give Scar the silent treatment as much as possible.

Karanga could understand how they felt, and for once she didn't take Scar's side, but instead did her best to try and comfort the worried and weeping lionesses, assuring them that it would all be all right, and that they were all strong enough to pull through these difficult times.


	20. The Queen's Mistake

_Chapter 20_

**The Queen's Mistake**

Ndani had listened to the Outlanders' version of what happened earlier that day, and she could now understand why Scar had been so upset. But she wasn't happy about how Scar had taken it out on her, especially since she had had nothing to do with the failed escape plan.

The lioness sat down for a moment, but became restless and snappy. She was looking forward to surprise Scar by letting him know that she was ready to try and have another go at making cubs again, and hadn't expected to be turned down by him like that. She wondered out loud whether she should look for him anyway, but Zira shook her head.

"Don't be silly," she told Ndani, with a hint of jealousy that was totally lost on the Queen, "He probably has more important things in his mind right now. Do you really think he'll be in the mood to please you?"

Ndani sighed deeply. "Nah... I guess not... I'll just be a nuisance."

"Exactly," Zira added, matter-of-factly, "I tell you, I'd never seen him so upset. If I were you, I'd let him cool down first. So what if you're in season? It's not like it'll be the last time."

Ndani nodded quietly. Since she looked up to Zira, her words always carried a lot of weight. As such, the lioness didn't notice the venom in Zira's voice, who felt extremely glad that Scar turned Ndani down and would not be spending time alone with her.

"Eugh... I just can't stay here, doin' nothin'... I'll go for a walk and see if I can take my mind of things," Ndani said, still feeling fidgety.

"Okay, see you later," the Outlanders told her, as Ndani walked away, longing for Scar's company more than ever.

The lioness started to cry in a mixture of sadness and anger, and decided to take refuge by the cave where she and Scar had spent some time together, what seemed to her like years ago.

As she sat down there on her own, the loneliness became a bit overwhelming, and she kept on sobbing. Her sense of smell was impaired due to her crying, and she had not noticed the new and strange scent marks surrounding the cave and the area around it.

"Oh, look at me now, all over-emotional," she told herself, bursting in laughter at the same time, imagining how ridiculous she must look, only to keep on sobbing afterwards. But she tried to hold back, when she thought she had heard a noise nearby.

Ndani pricked her ears and tried to listen better, sniffling every now and then. "Scar? Is that you?" she asked, looking hopeful.

The rustling became more obvious. Someone was coming, and whoever it was was, it was not making an effort to sneak up on her.

To Ndani's shock, she was greeted by the two rogues that had managed to sneak into the Pride Lands earlier. One of them was carrying the body of a dead hyena by the neck.

"Hey, looks like we've got visitors," one of the lions said, looking pleasantly surprised.

The other one spat the dead hyena on to the floor with little delicacy. "I would've never imagined there would be any lionesses living in this dump," he said, as blood dripped down his muzzle.

"Who are you? And how did you get past the border?" Ndani asked them, her body language conveying submission and a bit of fear.

As the lions got closer, she could see that they were clearly brothers, and they were strong and well fed. It impressed her how they both looked like a mix between Thembi and Scar, although they were not as brawny as the former King, and their mane was thicker and slightly lighter in colour.

"I'm Kwanza, and my younger brother here's Haji. As for the borders, there was no sign of a lion pride living in the area, all we found were some hyena marks here and there."

"You mean the hyenas didn't block your way?" she asked, looking puzzled.

Kwanza shook his head and sat down nearby. "Nope, there were no hyenas, we didn't see anybody. Until now, that is. We went hunting and found this one nearby... By the way, there really isn't anything else to eat here, is there?" he asked casually.

Ndani looked at the dead hyena; it wasn't anyone she could recognize right away. She realized the rogues probably walked in when the clan had abandoned their posts. "You were lucky," she whispered, "No rogue has survived even walking by these lands, let alone crossing the border. They all get ambushed by the hyenas in patrol duty."

The two lions started eating, while Ndani looked away. As hungry as she was, she didn't feel like eating someone who could have been Scar's friend.

"So what's your name, and what are you doing here, living with the hyenas?" Kwanza asked between bites.

"I'm Ndani. And believe it or not, this is actually lion territory. This _dump_, as you call it, belongs to King Scar. He's teamed up with the hyenas and they just happen to patrol this side of the border. You would've noticed Scar's markings if you had arrived from the other side."

Haji looked up, his muzzle now covered in the hyena's blood. He had the feeling that this lioness was just making up stories to scare them away. "Really? So where's the rest of your pride? What are you doing here all alone and crying your heart out?"

"That ain't none of your business," Ndani replied, trying to sound assertive, while the two lions could clearly tell she was still uneasy and nervous. "Just finish eating and leave, before Scar or the hyenas find you."

Under normal circumstances, Ndani would have raised the alarm already, to warn everyone about the intruders, but for now her feelings prevented her from acting like she usually would. The feeling of loneliness she had just experienced was the main reason why she was not too keen on chasing these two fine looking lions right away.

For a while no one spoke, the only sounds that could be heard were the chewing and munching coming from the two lions, while Ndani sighed every now and then.

Eventually Kwanza finished eating, and he started grooming his face nonchalantly. "Feel free to grab a bite once Haji's done," he told the lioness, "You look like you could use one," he added, looking her up and down.

Ndani frowned. "Did you hear what I said? You have to leave!"

The two lions looked at her with amusement and ignored her warnings. Haji finished eating shortly after, and pushed the leftovers with his nose towards her.

Ndani stepped back a few paces, looking at the carcass with disgust.

"Fine, suit yourself," Haji said, and sat closer to her. "How about you groom me, then?" he added, giving her a smile that would probably have been charming, if it weren't for the fact that most of his face was covered in hyena blood.

Ndani smirked slightly. "Mother always said not to groom strangers."

Haji chuckled and breathed in deeply, taking in Ndani's scent as he sighed, satisfied after a good meal. It was then when he noticed Ndani's current state, and realized that she might not say no to him, if he were to make a pass at her.

Haji gave her a broader smile, his interest in her piqued all of a sudden. He knew he had to keep Ndani away from his brother; Kwanza was more dominant, and he would surely try to get the lioness all for himself if he were to find out she was in a receptive mood.

Haji looked at Kwanza over his shoulder; the older lion had not noticed anything yet, and was still busy grooming his own face with a paw.

"Is there a waterhole nearby where I can go drink and wash myself?" Haji asked.

Ndani nodded and pointed with a paw. "It's that way."

"Care to show me the way? You can shoo the hyenas away if we meet them," he said, still not taking her warnings seriously.

Ndani hesitated for a moment. She was sure that they were already aware of her condition, but appreciated the fact that they were still behaving polite and respectful. Ndani decide to go with him, hoping that if he were to mention anything, that she'd have enough self control to keep his advances at bay.

"All right... but after that, you have to leave, you promise? I'll escort you to the border myself, so that the hyenas won't harm you."

Both lions chuckled. "Do the hyenas really listen to you?" Kwanza asked, looking at the small lioness, who didn't seem all that impressive to him. He just couldn't picture her commanding hyenas around and them doing her bidding.

Ndani nodded and grinned proudly. "I'm the Queen of the Dump, after all."

"Whoa, the Queen?" Haji said greedily, "Come, come with me, you must tell me all about it while we walk to the waterhole," he said, ushering Ndani away from Kwanza, who appeared to have shown more interest in her all of a sudden.

Ndani and Haji walked away, leaving Kwanza behind, looking slightly puzzled.

They had covered a short distance when Ndani told the rogue lion, "Hold on, stay here, I'm gonna take a peek to see if it's safe..."

Ndani climbed a small hill to have a better view. Haji stayed down, hidden behind some rocks.

The lioness frowned. "Bad news, there's at least five hyenas down there. They'll sure spread the word around that you're here and you'll be in trouble. I guess you'll have to find water outside of the borders," she said as she climbed down the hill.

"That's okay. I wasn't really that thirsty anyway," Haji said, sitting down on his haunches and getting ready to clean himself.

Ndani took a few steps back, and watched as the lion began grooming his own face with a paw. The lioness had to force herself to stop daydreaming about him. This was the first time she actually met a rogue during her season, and while Mufasa once came to her to offer his assistance, she had dismissed him rather quickly, feeling afraid and insecure back then. Only now, thanks to Scar, she knew what mating was like, and she was definitely more eager to have her needs satisfied than she was before.

Haji lowered his paw after a while and looked at Ndani, who quickly looked away and pretended not to have been staring at him all this time. The lion grinned and asked, "Can you check if I missed a spot?"

"Yup, under your chin," the lioness said after a quick inspection.

"Ah, I can't reach very well there. Help me out here, please?" Haji said, and looked up, exposing his chin and neck to her.

Ndani sighed and walked to him. She quickly licked away the small spot he had missed, but Haji looked down unexpectedly, ending cheek to cheek with Ndani, and he rubbed his head against hers.

"I happened to notice that you could use some company tonight," he whispered in her ear, as he sniffed her face.

Ndani remained very still, clearly uneasy with the situation. She found the lion to be very attractive and this was not making things easier on her. _If only he were really ugly... and smelly and super old... and toothless... Yes, toothless, yuck! And with fleas and mange!_she thought, trying hard to keep in control and distract herself from the signals her body was sending to her mind. One part of her was screaming to run away from him, while the other part was urging her to bury her face in his thick, dark-brown mane.

Ndani took a step back, breathing heavily, while Haji smirked to himself, enjoying seeing the effects of his actions.

"What makes you think I am not meeting my King here tonight?" she finally said, taking another step backwards, thinking about how disappointed Scar would be on her, if she gave in to her cravings with this rogue.

"It was the fact that you were bawling your eyes out when we met, it kind of tipped me off. Not to worry though, I'm here for you. I will gladly assist you, all day and and all night, if you want," he said seductively.

Ndani looked at him and shook her head, finally getting a grip on herself. What she really wanted was Scar by her side, and no other. "Thanks for your offer, but I'll just wait for the King to show up, if it's all the same to ya."

Haji looked back at her, clearly entranced by her scent, and without warning, he attempted to nip her gently on her shoulder, trying to get her in the mood.

"I said no," she insisted, more firmly this time, and turned around to walk away. "Let's go back to your brother and then we'll go to-"

Haji followed her closely, too close for her comfort.

"Hey! Knock it off!" Ndani exclaimed and turned around, slapping him hard on the cheek.

Haji growled at her. "Let me guess... You'd crouch for Kwanza in the blink of an eye, wouldn't you?" he said, angry about the fact that the lionesses seemed to fall for his older brother all the time, and always ignored his advances.

"What? No! I told you, I'm waiting for King Scar. You are really attractive and all, but you don't hold a candle to my mate, that's just the way it is," she said, her anger now taking over her desire to mate.

But Haji was not listening to her, he was pacing back and forth madly. "Then why did you lead me on?"

"I did no such thing! I was just being friendly!" she snarled, "That's it, this conversation's over! I'm outta here, and I wish you and your brother good luck tryin' to get outta this place without my help!"

As she walked past Haji while making a rude gesture at him, the lion couldn't contain himself and slapped her hard on the face, calling her nasty names. His sudden blow made Ndani lose her balance and caused her to tumble down a slope, hitting her head on a sharp rock.

The lioness remained motionless, and for a moment Haji wondered if she was still alive. As he approached, he saw her chest still rising and falling. He stared at Ndani angrily, as she lay there unconscious, unable to protest or fight back.

Haji's angry expression turned more sinister as he chuckled to himself and looked around to make sure no one was nearby. There was no sign of Kwanza or the hyenas. The lion prodded Ndani's side with a claw, and seeing no response or reaction from her, Haji smirked and proceeded to fulfill his impromptu plan for the evening.

* * *

><p>When Ndani came around, she opened her eyes, only to be overwhelmed by a feeling of dizziness, as well as a throbbing pain where her head had hit the rock.<p>

She sat up slowly and waited until her head stopped spinning. She tried to piece together what happened; she remembered telling Haji off, but the rest was all a blur. Judging by the colors in the sky, the lioness could tell that it would be sunrise soon, she must have been knocked out for quite a while.

Ndani looked around, but there was no sign of the lion anywhere. She stood up slowly, groaning as her head pounded along with her heartbeat.

She noticed her shoulders and nape felt sore and in pain, and wondered if it was from tumbling down the hill, but as she walked back to Pride Rock, it became obvious to her that Haji had simply not respected her wish to be left alone.

She cursed the lion and hoped that the hyenas had gotten the best of him already, but her biggest worry was whether she should tell Scar at all. Ndani couldn't help but sigh in relief when she saw that the King was still nowhere to be found by the time she had reached the Outlanders.

"Hey, you," Njano greeted her, "Scar came lookin' for ya earlier, thought you'd want to know."

Zira turned to look at Ndani. "Hmm. I think she's met him already, from the looks of her," she said, trying to hide her disgust.

Ndani looked at Zira, confused. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Kahawia giggled slightly. "Oh, come on, don't try to hide it! The scruff of your neck and your shoulders are covered in love bites and marks, silly," she said, giving Ndani a wink. "Um... He didn't hold back this time, huh?" she added more seriously, upon closer inspection of the wounds.

Ndani's expression became mortified all of a sudden. She turned her head and tried to glance at the marks in question, but she couldn't get a good view. While she had felt some stinging on her back, she simply had no idea that the marks Haji left on her were that obvious. Had she known, she wouldn't have returned to Pride Rock so soon.

Not willing to tell anyone yet what had happened, Ndani tried to run away but Zira blocked her path. "Whoa, whoa, slow down, what's the matter?"

Ndani bit her lip, too embarrassed to confide in them. But Zira, knowing Scar's scent all too well, could immediately tell that Ndani had been with another lion instead. "My, my..." she whispered, while Kahawia and Njano looked at them with curiosity.

"Please, don't say anything..." Ndani hissed through clenched teeth.

Zira was smiling triumphantly, and pressed on. "No, no, no, I want to hear _all _about it. Who is he? How did you two meet?" she said, circling Ndani.

Njano and Kahawia gasped, realizing that Ndani had spent the night with someone else other than her mate.

"Please, Zira, just drop it, okay?" Ndani begged again, looking around to make sure no one else but the Outlanders was listening.

"This is big," Zira went on, talking more to herself than to Ndani, "It's not uncommon for lionesses to go and mate around with rogues, but... The Queen? Oh, Ndani, you've really screwed up big time."

Ndani snarled at her. "For your information, I didn't wanna do it. I'd never even met him before! He and his brother managed to cross the borders while the hyenas were distracted, and he got pissed off when I turned him down. He knocked me out and then did his thing while I was still in lala land. So I'd appreciate it if you wipe off that smug grin from your face!"

Zira said nothing, but Kahawia gasped and walked to Ndani. "Oh honey... That's terrible! Are you all right?"

"Oh yes, just peachy," Ndani snapped, "my head's pounding and I feel like total crap, but other than, that I'm fine and dandy!"

Kahawia didn't feel threatened by her outburst and instead nuzzled Ndani to try and calm her down. "Why don't you let me clean you a bit? I can try to take his scent and his marks away, before Scar returns. What do you say?" Kahawia asked, and Ndani, taken aback by her friendly gesture, simply let out a deep sigh and gladly accepted her offer, lying down in front of her.

Kahawia started grooming her carefully, while Ndani winced every now and then. She seemed to be coming to grips with what just happened, and felt so angry she wished she could rip Haji apart herself.

"What did Scar want anyway? And where did he go?" the Queen asked eventually, drying her tears with a paw.

"He didn't say what he wanted, but he took off early this morning with little Nuka, for his first lesson on border patrol."

"I see..." Ndani replied, "Please, girls, not a word about this to anyone, and especially not to Scar. I want to be the one to tell him, that is, if I tell him at all. I still dunno what to do..."

"You'd better prepare him, or he'll have an even nastier surprise if that rogue's left you knocked up," Zira said, showing little empathy.

Njano gave Zira an angry look and hushed her.

Zira shrugged and whisper, "Well, she has to consider the possibility, right?"

Ndani looked at Zira, sensing for the first time a huge amount of hostility emanating from her, but she was not in the mood to confront her today. Besides, she had to agree; Zira had a point.

"Either way, I wanna be the one to tell him, when _I_ am ready, so keep this to yourselves, will ya?" Ndani insisted.

The lionesses agreed to keep her secret, and didn't question Ndani any further. Njano joined in with the grooming session and having completely healed from her leg, she offered to go to Rafiki's tree later to pick up a remedy against Ndani's headache.

* * *

><p>Scar was doing his rounds, accompanied by Nuka, who was very happy and excited about his lessons with his father. Although Scar had not been very close with Nuka, the cub found that Scar was always polite and a lot less strict than his mother, so Nuka enjoyed hanging out with him.<p>

"How about that bush? Do I have to mark it?" the cub inquired.

Scar shook his head. "It's not necessary, your previous mark is still too close. Take a deep breath and you'll see."

Nuka breathed in deeply and muttered, "Oh, yeah, you're right..." He walked further until the scent of his previous mark had faded, and then proceeded to mark a bare tree trunk that he found along his path.

Scar simply nodded in approval, which made Nuka smile and feel proud of himself for getting it right.

"So, what else does a King do besides peeing all over the place?" Nuka asked bluntly.

Scar smirked and caught up with him. "A King can do whatever he wants. If you feel like lying around all day, no one can stop you."

Nuka seemed to like the idea, and appeared to be daydreaming for a moment. "Sounds a lot better than what mother said was in store for me... Man, I really wish I could be King too!"

The cub then turned to Scar and asked, "So you think I could be King someday? Is that why you're teachin' me?"

Scar sighed. "We've been through this, Nuka. You know that when the Prince is born, he will be the one to take over my place after I die."

Nuka looked puzzled for a moment. "But why are you teaching me all this then? Am I like some sorta backup plan or something?"

Scar nodded. "In a way... Suppose that something happens to me. At least then you will be able to pass your knowledge on to the Prince one day."

Nuka pondered for a moment, not sure how he felt about that idea.

"It is a very important task, can I trust you with it?" Scar asked him, and Nuka felt more enthusiastic all of a sudden, having been trusted with something so special.

"Yup, all right, I'll teach him all I learn!"

"Good. Now go see if you can find the next spot to mark."

The cub ran ahead of him, while Scar stared at him with a serious expression. He remembered how Thembi used to play with Mufasa when he was still a cub, and many times Scar witnessed Mufasa's own games with his son Simba. But Scar had never played with Nuka that way, and he wondered why he had never felt the need to bond with his son like that.

Nuka had never reproached him, but Scar wondered if the cub ever thought of him in the same way Scar used to think of Thembi, wondering why his father was so distant and asking himself what he had done wrong to deserve his father's indifference.

The King shook his head. He was not the playful type, and he was not about to start now. He'd simply concentrate on teaching Nuka as best as the cub's abilities would allow him. That was more than Thembi ever did, so Nuka should be grateful for having been given this chance.

Scar snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Nuka calling him.

"I've found a hyena mark," the cub said excitedly, "I think we've reached the part of the border patrolled by them!"

"Very good, Nuka. But you still need some more practice. Try ignoring the hyena marks for now, and place your own mark like you've been doing so far."

Nuka bit his lip. "Sure... I just... I think I'm getting kinda... empty, if you know what I mean?" he said, laughing slightly.

Scar smiled slightly. "I am not asking you to patrol the whole Pride Lands. Just see how far you get and then we will call it a day and go for a drink."

Nuka nodded and kept on marking here and there, while a few hyenas looked at the two lions with curiosity.

Scar frowned when Nuka stopped on his tracks and seemed to become confused all of a sudden. He was sniffing a dried-out bush intently, trying to make sense of a smell he had picked up on.

Scar sat down and tilted his head as he watched Nuka, allowing the cub to try and figure it out by himself. In the meantime, the lion heard some hyenas whooping in the distance, and saw how the hyenas lounging nearby headed in that direction, salivating and looking excited. Judging by the sounds of their calls, Scar could tell they had brought something down.

"Hey, father," Nuka asked eventually, "do the lionesses also help you with the border patrol?"

Scar shook his head. "Usually not, but you will still pick up their scents around the territory. The lionesses leave marks as they go out hunting or when they go for a walk. Why? Have you detected the scent of one of the lionesses in the Pride?"

Nuka shook his head. "I thought that at first, but this one's kinda different," the cub said as he sniffed carefully. "Nope... Never smelled this before. I think some other animal came into our territory and pissed here," was Nuka's final verdict.

Scar got closer to take a look himself. "It could be a leopard, or a cheetah, or a-" but the lion interrupted himself as he sniffed the bush and realized that the mark belong to another male lion.

Scar stood up straight, looking around, becoming alarmed. "Nuka, stay low."

"What? What is it?"

Scar just kept guard for a moment, wondering if whomever left the mark was close or not. As the whooping of the hyenas became louder, Scar wondered if they had managed to detect the intruder as well.

"There's another lion around... Follow me, and stay close," Scar commanded, and Nuka, sensing a change in Scar's mood, decided to obey and stop asking questions.

As they prowled around the area, Scar detected more marks and realized that they were dealing with at least two rogues. For a moment, he contemplated using the distress call, but he decided to go check on the hyenas first, just in case.

As they followed the hyena calls, Nuka let out a loud gasp.

"What's the matter now?" Scar whispered.

Nuka had come across the remains of a dead hyena. "You think it was that lion who did this?"

Scar approached the carcass, but it was impossible to identify who it had been. He did detect the scent of the lions around the area, and growled deeply.

"Yes... Come, Nuka, hurry," Scar urged him, and rushed towards the hyenas.

The cub followed him, running as fast as he could to keep up. But after just a few seconds, Scar suddenly stopped on his tracks, causing Nuka to crash into him with his face. The King was sniffing the soil around him carefully.

"Ouch!" Nuka said and rubbed his nose for a moment, but then started to sniff too, wondering what trail Scar had picked up this time. A familiar smell reached his nostrils, and the cub appeared thoughtful for a moment. Nuka brightened up slightly as he exclaimed, "Hey, I know this smell! It's Ndani!"

Scar growled even deeper, making Nuka feel a bit uneasy, not sure what had done to upset his father that much. He must have made a mistake.

"I'm sorry... I really thought it was her-"

"It _is _her scent, now be quiet!" Scar hissed, realizing that at some point Ndani had walked into the small area the rogues had claimed for themselves.

Scar started running again towards the hyenas with a determined look on his face, and he eventually found them, gathered around something and fighting amongst themselves. They were clearly eating, and as Scar got closer, he could actually see and hear the two rogue lions, still pleading for their lives, while the hyenas were already digging in.

Scar ordered Nuka to stay put, and he walked closer to the action, while the cub craned his neck to get a better look.

Scar heard one of the lions blurt out between screams of pain, "C'mon! We know the Queen, Ndani! We're old friends! Please let us through- "

"Well, the _King_ himself told us we could eat all the rogues that crossed this border. I am sure we don't need to explain to you how the hierarchy works around here, huh? " a hyena replied.

The lion kept on pleading, but it was not long after that both Kwanza and Haji stopped struggling, as the hyenas mercilessly finished them off.

"What a way to go... Why can't you just choke your prey first, and spare yourselves all their screaming and moaning?" Scar said as he sat behind the hyenas. "How did these two get in anyway?"

The hyenas looked up for a moment but quickly returned to eating. "Must've happened when _your _lionesses were screwing around with our distress call," a hyena replied defensively, with her mouth full.

"Just so you know, it seems these two caught someone from your clan," Scar added.

The hyena nodded. "It was Fisi. He had wandered off on his own and never came back," she said, not too mortified about the death of a non-dominant male. "We found his body, but not the lions who did it. We figured we'd catch them as soon as they tried to cross the border again. Say, they seemed to know your Queen, they mentioned her name several times," she added with an evil grin, surely trying to incite some drama.

"So I heard," Scar muttered, frowning deeply. "I'm going back to Pride Rock now. You lot, make sure that this doesn't happen again."

The hyena stuck his tongue out at him once Scar had turned around, and continued eating in a frenzy.

Scar walked back to Nuka, who appeared to be a bit shocked. "Come, let's go home now."

"Father?" Nuka asked him, "Why were those hyenas eating lions? I thought hyenas didn't eat us lions!"

"Not the lions in our Pride. But those two, they were outsiders. One of the things you will also have to learn as King is to keep these intruders at bay at all costs, or they might try to kill you and take over your Pride."

Nuka nodded understandingly, and walked back home feeling rather content with Scar's lesson for today. But it had been a long morning, full of things to learn, and now he was longing for a nap by Zira's side.

* * *

><p>Scar reached Pride Rock and headed straight for the Outlanders, while his own lionesses continued to ignore his presence and did not speak to him unless spoken to.<p>

Ndani saw Scar and Nuka approaching and eyed her friends nervously.

"It'll be all right, don't worry, he won't notice a thing," Kahawia tried to reassure her.

Nuka ran straight to Zira, and began telling her everything they had done that morning, while Scar sat down nearby, looking at Ndani and wondering whether she would tell him the truth. For now, the lioness was just doing her best to not look him in the eye.

Ndani half-listened to Nuka ramble on about his lesson, but her expression changed immediately when Nuka told the part about learning to recognize scents, citing Ndani's own scent-mark as an example, and ending with the hyenas devouring two intruders they found near that area. Scar noticed the change on her face, and he felt his blood boiling, not knowing how far Ndani had gone.

"So Scar said I would have to learn to defend the lands too! But not now, I am still too young, he says."

Zira could feel the tension between Scar and Ndani rising. She could tell Scar suspected something, but how much did he know, Zira could not tell.

"Sounds like you learned a lot, but now it's time for your nap," Zira told Nuka, patting him on the head a couple of times. The cub didn't protest for a change, and curled up against her, while Zira kept glancing towards Scar and Ndani.

Njano and Kahawia pretended to be engrossed in a mutual grooming session and avoided eye contact with Scar as well.

"Ndani," Scar finally called her, "We need to talk."

Ndani stood up, still feeling sore, but Kahawia and Njano had done a good job in cleaning her up. She silently walked to Scar and whispered, "Yes, we do."

Zira watched them walk away together, and rested her chin on top of the sleeping Nuka, daydreaming about Scar demoting Ndani for having messed around with a rogue, and choosing her as Queen instead.

* * *

><p>Scar took Ndani into the cave at Pride Rock, knowing that they would have enough privacy there, now that the Pride-Landers had abandoned it.<p>

The lioness sat down, not really sure where to begin. She decided to wait for him to start talking.

"I know you're hiding something from me," Scar said, trying to suppress a growl, "Care to explain to me how those two rogues knew your name, and status in the Pride?"

Ndani couldn't contain herself any longer and burst into tears.

"Oh will you cut that out?" Scar snarled, "Tell me now, Ndani, before I lose my patience."

Ndani proceeded to explain between sobs exactly what had happened, and how proud she had felt of herself, for having been strong enough to turn the rogue lion down. "I didn't mean for it to happen, I swear I was going to wait for you! That's what pissed him off..."

"You should have raised the alarm straight away, more so knowing that you were in season!" Scar hissed.

Ndani shook her head. "I know... I just wasn't thinking straight... I'm really sorry, Scar. I would have put up a fight if I hadn't been knocked out, I swear I would've!" she said sincerely as tears kept streaming down her face.

The lion looked at her through narrowed eyes. "You do understand that if there are any cubs resulting from this, they will have to be killed," he said. It was not a question, but a statement.

Ndani sighed deeply and whispered, "I do..." She didn't want the cubs of a stranger any more than Scar did.

Scar rubbed his temple with a paw, clearly suffering a headache.

Ndani looked at him and ventured to ask, "So the hyenas got them in the end?"

Scar nodded. "They were eaten alive, and died screaming your name."

While Ndani had wished the worst to Haji, even now there was a huge emptiness inside her that could not be filled, not even by the fact that Haji had suffered till the very end. Ndani could not find any consolation in that. She wanted to be comforted, to be told that everything would be all right, but Scar was cold and distant.

"Were you actually planning to tell me?" Scar asked her after a while.

Ndani let out a deep sigh. "Yes, though probably not today. You have enough on your mind as it is..."

Scar turned to look at her, and inspected the wound on her head, which had turned into a bump. The lion let out a deep growl and hissed, "Wait here."

Ndani watched as Scar left the cave and called for Zazu. The lioness tilted her head for a moment, wondering what the bird had to do with anything.

Scar returned, and not long after, Zazu flew into the cave, looking as confused as Ndani. "You called, sire?"

"Where were you when the hyenas got distracted and those two lionesses tried to escape?"

"I was with Shada, who was feeling sick," Zazu said straight away, having already rehearsed this story with the Pride-Landers, in case Scar questioned him about Nala's whereabouts.

"Why were you not patrolling the area like I told you too?"

Zazu cleared his throat, glancing from the King to the Queen, looking nervous. "With all due respect, sire, the hyenas had that task fully covered, there was nothing much for me to patrol."

"You knew that the hyenas were distracted and running around. Of course, it didn't occur to you to keep an eye on the borders then, am I right?"

"Well, I- I guess not, sire, I was more worried about Shada's state, at that point."

The lion shook his head. "Come here, Zazu. Take a look at this."

Scar walked to Ndani and pointed at the wound on her head. Zazu hovered on top of her for a short moment, as he looked at the Queen's head. "Um... It looks like a bump..." the bird admitted, landing next to them again.

"Two rogue lions sneaked into my territory unseen. Of course, you would have seen them clearly, if you had been doing your job!" Scar snarled very close to Zazu's beak, baring his fangs and looking extremely angry.

Zazu gasped. He began stammering, but Scar interrupted him. "And not only that, they killed a hyena, and one of them even attacked and hurt the Queen herself!"

Ndani looked away, feeling rather embarrassed.

"I'm very sorry, Your Highness," Zazu kept on stammering, not knowing who to apologize to, but Scar had had enough.

"You've disappointed me for the last time, stupid bird," Scar told him and grabbed him roughly with his mouth.

"Scar, please stop, it's not his fault!" Ndani pleaded, but Scar ignored her. He paced to a corner of the cave and placed Zazu on the floor roughly. The bird tried to fly away, but Scar slapped him hard, back into place. "Stay put," he snarled.

Zazu was scared and in pain, but he obeyed, fearing that if he kept on struggling, Scar would only hurt him more.

Scar left the cave and returned only a few seconds later, dragging an old zebra ribcage that had been fully stripped of meat. He slammed it tight on top of Zazu, between the wall of the cave and a rock, trapping the hornbill in a cage of bones. Zazu tried to fly and squeeze through, but there was no use, he was now Scar's prisoner too, just like his lionesses.

"I had warned you already, remember?" Scar hissed through clenched teeth, while Zazu kept trying to fly in a fit of panic, and bumping himself into the bones of his improvised cage.

Ndani approached them. "Scar, please, don't do this, it was my own fault that I-"

"Quiet, Ndani," Scar told her, "I don't want to hear another word about this. He's staying here until I say so."

And with that Scar turned around and left the cave.

"Please, let me out," Zazu begged her, "I swear I'll tell everyone I escaped on my own, but please, help me!"

Ndani sighed deeply and tried to pull the ribcage, but it wouldn't budge. "It's very tight..." she said between pulls.

"Ndani!" came Scar's voice from the outside of the cave.

Ndani bit her lip and look at Zazu sadly. "I'm sorry, I didn't meant to get you into trouble..."

Zazu looked at her and whispered, "Neither did I... I'm sorry I wasn't patrolling the area like I should have..."

Scar called her again, so Ndani had no other choice but to leave Zazu alone in the cave.

"We're going to Rafiki so that he can check that bump," Scar said flatly the moment Ndani came out of the cave, and he left without another word. Ndani sighed and followed him, peeking towards the Outlanders, who were casting curious glances at her. Ndani looked away and avoided eye contact.

As Zazu cried for help, the Pride-Landers heard him and went to his aid. The hornbill explained to them why he had been locked up, and the lionesses also tried hard to move the ribcage, without success. They tried digging him out, but the ground inside the cave was just too hard. Sarafina even asked a nearby hyena to break the bones with her jaws and release the bird, but the hyena refused.

The lionesses tried to reassure Zazu, and promised to keep him company and to bring him worms and insects to eat, while they find a way to get him out.


	21. Times of Betrayal

_Chapter 21_

**Times of Betrayal**

If the lionesses had felt desperate before, it was nothing compared to how they felt days later after Nala left. And with the added burden of having to feed Shenzi and her siblings, things were looking more somber every day. Even if they managed to hunt something, there was very little left over for the lionesses to eat, after the King and the hyenas were done with their share.

Huria and Sarabi felt very guilty knowing that while they had tried to help, they had just made the situation far much worse. The Pride did not hold it against them; they only wished they would have discussed the plans between everyone, to come up with possible alternatives in case the plan failed.

Only Sarafina did seem a bit resentful at times, and every evening she would sit down by the border near the gorge, and would call for Nala. She hoped that in case her daughter was on her way back home, that her calls would help Nala find the way. But her roars also conveyed a hidden warning that the hyenas could not understand; it was meant to alert Nala that she'd be in danger if she tried to cross the border back into the Pride Lands.

But there was still no sign of Nala, which didn't stop Sarafina from issuing her warning every evening.

One gloomy and stuffy afternoon, the lionesses were eating what was left of a small impala they had hunt earlier. Huria looked at the meager amount of meat that the hyenas and Scar had left for them, and let out a deep sigh. She took a few nibbles but then stepped away from the meal, leaving her ration to Mahali, who was now doing all the cub feeding by herself.

"Huria, you have to eat more, you already collapsed during the hunt earlier," Anasa said, looking worried at her pride-mate.

"I'll be fine," Huria muttered and lay down further away, trying to ignore the rumbling of her stomach. She stared ahead drowsily, but frowned as something caught her eye.

"Hey, Shada, come take a look at this..." she called.

Shada made her way to where Huria was resting. "What is it?"

"It's the Trouble-Makers, heading for the lake. Spot anything weird?"

Shada focused on the group of hyenas and whispered, "Mashavu... She's not with them..."

"You don't suppose something 'happened' to her, huh?"

Shada took a deep breath. "No idea, but I will go and find out. I'll be back later."

The lioness made her way towards the Trouble-makers, quickly escorted by several hyenas, who were keeping a better eye on her than before.

Shada ignored them and focused on the task at hand. "Hey, guys!" she called the young hyenas once she as within earshot.

The Trouble-Makers turned to her, and realizing it was Shada, they tried to speed up, keeping their distance.

"Hey! Wait up!" Shada tried again, but the Trouble-Makers ignored her completely.

Shada found their attitude rather strange, and she let out a loud sigh of frustration. The lioness turned around and headed back, with the thought of asking anyone else in the clan, but the lioness then realized that most of the hyenas were all now actively avoiding her, pretending not to see her or hear her. Even her escort refused to answer any questions.

"What's the matter with you all?" Shada yelled at no one in particular, "Is it fun, giving me the silent treatment?"

But still no reply came to her. Frustrated, Shada slashed the ground with her paws and cursed under her breath. She felt very worried about Mashavu, and the hyenas' distant attitude was not helping.

"What are you doing here? Haven't you caused enough damage already?" came Asani's voice from behind Shada.

The lioness turned around, and without any trace of fear, she faced Asani. "Look, I'm not here to start a fight. I just want to know where Mashavu is. I just got worried when I didn't see her with the rest of the Trouble-Makers..."

"Mashavu? You mean... You don't know what happened?" Asani asked, tilting her head.

Shada shook her head, but became rather restless knowing that something had happened to her friend after all. "Please, tell me..."

"Hmm... That explains..." Asani said, more to herself.

The hyena took a deep breath, turned to Shada's escort and told them, "I'll take it over from here, you can go back now."

The hyenas nodded and obediently retreated back to Pride Rock.

Asani motioned Shada to follow her. As they walked, the lioness noticed the dirty looks the clan was throwing at her. This was new for Shada, since she had always gotten along reasonably well.

"What's going on, Asani?"

The hyena didn't reply. Instead she just led Shada past the border, and pointed at a rather large hole that probably had served as a pup-den at some point. It was not big enough for the lioness to crawl in, but she was able to stick her head inside, to take a look.

It took a short moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness inside the hole, but Shada gasped loudly when she realized that Mashavu lay inside, battered and wounded.

"Oh, no..." the lioness said as her eyes filled up with tears instantly. "My little girl, what have they done to you..."

Mashavu did not reply; she appeared to be unconscious.

Shada tried to squeeze into the small den, but it was in vain. She started digging desperately, trying to make the hole bigger to get to Mashavu, while Asani watched her intently, her expression hard to read.

"Leave her alone," Asani eventually said, "She's come here to die in peace."

Shada's head popped out of the hole, her face covered in dust that left a trail of mud where the tears had ran down her cheeks. "She's not dead yet! Help me, we can take her to Rafiki! He might be able to help!"

"Rafiki's already checked her out. He said there ain't nothing he can do except to relieve her from her misery, but the clan voted against it, I suppose they didn't want to cut her punishment short," the hyena said, with an expression that clearly indicated that she had voted in favor of Rafiki's aid.

Shada looked at her in shock and whispered, "Punishment? For crying out loud, Asani, what happened to her?"

Asani walked a few steps closer. "Seems Shenzi was able to bribe one of Mashavu's former best friends. Usiku ratted Mashavu out in the end. She confessed it had been Mashavu who taught you the distress call, and the others gave in to peer pressure and confirmed this too. The clan voted, and the majority decided Mashavu had to be punished. Usiku did not hesitate in taking the place of leader in their little gang."

"Usiku? No! It can't be..." Shada could not hold back and started sobbing, as she realized it was because of her that Mashavu ended this way. "It's so unfair... Masha didn't even know what we were planning to do!"

Asani shook her head. "It doesn't matter, the point is that it's forbidden to teach the distress call to someone without approval of the clan."

"Is that so serious, so as to be punished with death?" the lioness asked, glancing at the limp form of Mashavu inside the den.

"It is quite a serious offense, yes, but not one that grants you the death sentence right away. Actually, the reason why Mashavu ended up lookin' like this is 'cause she tried to stand up to Shenzi and put up a fight. She was, of course, no match for that bully. After Shenzi was done with her, Mashavu was still sentenced to her original punishment: exile. She was forced to leave the clan, and has been inside this hole ever since."

Shada let out a deep sigh, trying hard to erase the images that were coming to her mind, of a big, strong hyena like Shenzi not holding back on a smaller, younger hyena, who in the end had done nothing wrong.

Asani went on, "Most hyenas agree that this is all your fault, that's why they are all turning their backs on ya."

"And they are right... It is all my fault. I set it all up, Masha had nothing to do with it! You should have asked me to testify too before you guys sentenced her to exile!"

"What was the point? You had your chance to come clean, but you lied, just as Mashavu did. The clan didn't trust you two no more."

"Why are you here then, talking to me?" Shada said between sobs.

Asani sat down on her haunches. "I'm just curious... We had no problems believing her, when she confessed what had happened that day by the muddy lake. We know you urged them to play in the mud, knowing very well it was dangerous, just so that they would get into trouble and issue the distress call. What the rest of the clan and I have a hard time understanding, is that although Mashavu knew you had put them all in danger, and took advantage of their innocence, or stupidity, whatever ya wanna call it, she still went and took your side, and tried to cover up for ya."

Shada looked away, not knowing what to say for a moment. "Masha said she was only doing it to cover her own back. She knew the clan would punish her if you found out I learned the call from her."

Asani's face contorted in a twisted little grin. "See, now _that_ would have made sense. But there was more to it than saving her own ass. Mashavu felt very guilty when Shenzi bluffed around, saying they would rip _you_ to shreds in front of her, as part of her own punishment. Mashavu lost it and went for Shenzi's throat. Trust me, stronger hyenas have tried to take her on and failed," Asani added as she pointed to her own damaged ear.

Shada closed her eyes tight, never knowing how much impact she had really made on Mashavu, that she would dare to go that far for her. The lioness felt worse and worse by the minute, knowing she had taken advantage of a good friend, with disastrous consequences.

"We should go back. Come on, I'll escort you back to Pride Rock," Asani said eventually.

Shada shook her head and lay down next to the hole. "I want to stay here, keep her company... Please..."

The hyena blinked for a moment, clearly hesitant, but in the end she nodded and lay down on her tummy while keeping a close eye on the lioness.

Shada stuck her head in the hole again, to check if Mashavu was still alive. Her ragged breath was still audible, and the scent of blood overpowered Shada's nostrils, but she could also detect the stench of decay. The lioness frowned when she noticed Mashavu was surrounded by what looked like dead mice.

"Masha... Come out here... Let me groom you and clean you, please..." Shada said, not expecting any response. But she was surprised when Mashavu lifted her head slowly and twisted her ears in the direction of her voice.

"Huh? Shada? Is that you?" Mashavu managed to say, her voice hoarse and soft.

"Yes, I just heard what happened, and wanted to tell you how sorry I am, I really mean it," Shada said, as new tears flowed down her face.

Mashavu mustered her remaining energy and managed to crawl towards the hole, where Shada then held the hyena by the scruff the neck and pulled her out gently.

Asani looked away, avoiding the sight of the battered hyena, filled with disgust and anger.

Mashavu's eyes were sealed shut by the dried and caked blood matting her face. Shada immediately started grooming her gently, but Mashavu tried to cover her own face with a paw.

"Don't... It hurts..." the hyena muttered, "Listen, you gotta watch out, I dunno who but someone's been comin' here every day, dumpin' dead mice to feed me and try to keep me alive. They won't be happy to see ya here."

"Don't worry about me. Why aren't you eating the mice? You need food to recover from these wounds, you silly thing..." Shada chided her gently.

Mashavu smiled weakly. "I know I'm dying, Shada. It's just takin' forever and I can't stand the pain anymore. I just want it to end... So I don't eat, hoping it'll speed things up, ya know?"

Shada inspected the hyena's wounds and noticed there were big gashes to her throat, chest and stomach. One of her hind paws was clearly broken, as it was sticking out at a weird angle. Shenzi certainly didn't go easy on her, and Shada wondered how she had managed to stay alive for this long.

"I'm really sorry, Masha... If I had known things would turn out like this... " Shada said again, her voice breaking, but Mashavu hushed her.

"I know, I know."

Shada nodded and nuzzled the hyena tenderly, while Asani watched them silently.

Unaware that they were not alone, the wounded hyena didn't hesitate to speak to Shada in all honesty. "Hey, Shada... Now it's me who needs your help..."

The lioness nodded. "Anything, sweetie, I'm listening."

"Will... Will you finish me off?"

Shada swallowed hard, not prepared for this request at all. "Masha, please, don't ask me to do that-"

"Look at me... I can't stand the pain, I've been lyin' here waitin' to die for at least four days that have felt like forever. Don't let me suffer any more, please, I beg ya..."

"You will get better, just hang in there, I will take care of you, I promise..."

"That's a lie, you know it," Mashavu replied, "Even the healing monkey's given up on me, only he thought I wouldn't last the hour... Please, Shada, I'm beggin' you..."

Shada looked up and glanced at Asani, who was clearly listening to their conversation and holding on to each and every word.

"What if I ask Rafiki again? Maybe he's got something to ease the pain-" Shada said but at that moment Mashavu finally burst into tears.

"No! Don't leave me... Please, just help me now, so I can finally rest... In return for your help, you have my permission to take my body with you, so your nursin' mothers and cubs can have something eat."

Asani stood up and padded silently to Shada's side. She motioned to Shada with a paw not to reveal her presence.

"But Masha... I couldn't possibly-"

"I prefer to be eaten by your gang than by the ones who did this to me! Besides, you owe me one. This is your only chance to make the score even!" Mashavu said between sobs, coughing loudly as she started bleeding from her throat wound again.

Shada fell silent, as she knew the hyena was right. She could either let her live and prolong her suffering, or spare her the trouble and let her rest in peace one and for all.

Shada looked at Asani, as if requesting her approval silently.

Asani looked at Mashavu, who looked a lot worse than after Shenzi's attack. The hyena was clearly hesitating, wondering if she should speak and reveal herself. She decided against it, knowing that Mashavu would only stress out more if she found out she was there. In the end, Asani simply nodded towards Shada, and stepped back.

Shada could see that Asani had some trouble making her mind. The hyena shifted her weight from one side to another, nervously.

"Okay, Masha, I'll help you... but first, please, I need to know that you forgive me for what I did..."

Mashavu's body relaxed visibly as a small grin spread across her face. "Don't be thick... Of course I forgive you. I was rooting for you all the time, ya know. I agree with you guys, Scar's messed up real bad. I wish I could have helped ya better."

Shada looked at her silently, her own tears mingling with Mashavu's, as they fell on top of the hyena's face.

"Are you ready, my little Trouble-Maker?" Shada asked her.

Mashavu nodded without hesitation, having made peace with herself now. "Thanks again, Shada. I'll see you 'round when you join the stars too. If I panic, please don't stop, just keep on going. Promise?"

Shada nodded and cradled the hyena between her paws, while Mashavu whimpered slightly.

Asani sat beside them, and Shada thought she saw a few tears rolling down her face too, which she quickly dried up with her paw.

Shada looked down at the dying hyena and told her, "Remember the days when I used to baby-sit you? Remember that lullaby I used to sing to you guys, after you were done playing by the lake and felt like taking a nap?"

Mashavu nodded and smiled slightly.

"Well, let's play pretend that it's one of those nice, sunny afternoons, with a nice, fresh breeze blowing on your moist fur. We just had an awesome time, swimming around, and now you're settling in for a well-deserved nap. How does that sound?"

Mashavu nodded again. "It sounds great, actually... I liked your lullaby a lot," she said, trembling slightly knowing the end was near now.

Shada embraced the hyena, pulling her close, and started humming a tune Asani had never heard before, but that touched her all the same. Asani couldn't help feeling very sad, despite the fact that she never really got along well with her adoptive sister.

When the song was over, Mashavu had calmed down a bit, and Shada whispered, "Sleep well now, and sweet dreams, my little one."

The lioness was as gentle as possible, while she slowly closed her jaw on the already damaged throat of her friend, and sealed the passage of air into Mashavu's lungs. The small hyena didn't struggle much, until the very end, where panic took a hold of her, but Shada knew that she could not let go anymore. She had felt Mashavu's windpipe snap from the pressure of her jaw, and releasing her grip now would only mean causing the hyena more pain and stress.

The lioness held on, embracing her firmly, until Mashavu stopped kicking and struggling. Once Shada didn't feel Mashavu's hot breath on the side of her face, she released her grip and cried as she snuggled her face on Mashavu's fur.

Asani let her cry for a while, but eventually got closer and nuzzled Shada, startling her for a moment. The lioness looked up, expecting harsh or mocking words from her, but was surprised when she saw Asani was not hiding her tears anymore.

"It's over now... Thanks for helping her. I couldn't get myself to do it," the hyena whispered.

"I wish I had come to her sooner..." Shada said, releasing her embrace and placing Mashavu gently on the ground.

"Scar was supposed to tell you what happened, as he was there when the trial took place. I guess this was his way of punishing you both..."

Shada growled deeply for a moment. "Such a mean bastard... I can't believe my own mother raised him..." she muttered under her breath.

Asani didn't comment any further, instead she inspected Mashavu's lifeless body for a moment. "I think it would be better if you carry her on your back," she said eventually.

Shada looked at her, her eyes wide open. "You can't be serious. I cannot take her back to be eaten by my mates."

"It was her dying wish; she explicitly told you what she wanted you to do with her remains. You can't deny that to her."

Shada stared at the ground for a moment, remembering the hyena's last words.

"Fine," Shada sighed, and with a heavy heart she lay down next to Mashavu, while Asani helped to place the dead hyena's body on top of the lioness.

"There," Asani said, making sure Mashavu wouldn't fall off as Shada stood up. "Let's go back now. Just watch out, the hyenas in border duty at the moment are some of Shenzi's goons. Ignore everyone, I'll take care of things."

As they silently walked towards the border, Shada glanced at Asani and whispered, "Was it you? Giving her those mice to eat?"

Asani nodded. "Yeah, only I wish she'd seen it as help, and not as a means of extending her torture."

"She probably knows now..." Shada said, thinking of the irony of the situation. Mashavu got ripped apart by the hyena she was willing to follow, while the one she hated, had been trying to help her all along.

Asani remained quiet for the rest of the trip, until the hyenas in the border addressed her.

"Hey, what's that lioness doing with the body of that hyena? She can't take her!"

There was a commotion amongst the hyenas in patrol duty, but Asani quickly settled them down, asserting her dominance.

"Shut up all of ya! It was the filthy traitor's dying wish, I heard it myself," Asani said derisively, "She actually said she'd much prefer to become lion crap, than admitting her fault. Well, I say we grant her her wish! Who's with me?" she added, with a nasty, evil grin that shocked Shada for a moment.

The hyenas chuckled and nodded, opening the borders and allowing them to pass through.

"Wow, that was harsh..." Shada whispered.

"You know I don't mean any of it. It's just that it seems that being a jerk is the only way not to get beaten up around here lately," Asani said through clenched teeth.

Everywhere they walked the hyenas would turn to look at them with curious expressions, but Asani quickly shooed them away with a mere wave of her paw.

Shada caught a glimpse of the Trouble-Makers, who were already back from the lake. Most of them looked away, with guilt clearly visible in their faces. Shada was about to tell them something nasty, but Asani stopped her.

"Don't ruin it! You're already on the clan's wrong side. One paw outta line and they'll jump at you, so just keep quiet!" the hyena hissed.

Shada nodded and swallowed the words she was about to blurt out, but she still gave the foulest of stares to Usiku, who was the only one in the group to be sporting a satisfied smile.

"Well, this is it," Asani said as they reached Pride Rock, "By the way, I wouldn't venture out there on my own, if I were you. There's a lot of hyenas out there that are pretty pissed off, and they might want to get back at you."

Shada looked at Asani, and thanked her softly for her advice, and for allowing her to help Mashavu in her hour of need.

Asani simply nodded and walked off quickly, mingling with the rest of her clan mates and laughing as if nothing had happened. Shada thought that if she was indeed touched by Mashavu's death, she was doing a very good job at keeping it hidden.

The lioness spotted the Pride lying not far away, and she went to join them.

"Oh, dear..." Tahlili said as she saw Shada walking closer, and realized who the dead hyena on top of her sister was.

Shada leaned to one side, and the body of the hyena rolled softly on to the ground. The lioness proceeded to explain what had happened, and the expressions from the Pride went from shock to anger.

"Mashavu's final wish was to serve as food source to the nursing lionesses, that's why I brought her here."

Mahali shook her head quickly. "I had enough to eat from the previous catch; you guys didn't. It's your turn to eat now," she said, glad to have an excuse to avoid joining them in this particular meal.

Karanga approached Shada and nuzzled her daughter lovingly. "I'm sorry to hear this, Shada... We don't have to eat her, we can bury her somewhere if you prefer..."

Shada shook her head. "She wanted to help us, and this is the only way she could contribute with something. Burying her will do no good to anyone."

Although the lionesses were rather hungry, they still had trouble coming to grips with the idea of eating Shada's friend. But with Shada's permission and encouragement, Huria was the first one to begin eating, being the hungriest of them all. The rest of the Pride joined her eventually, eating quietly and respectfully, while Mahali, Shada and Karanga sat beside them.

Shada had begun to cry again, and the other two lionesses tried to comfort her through some gentle nuzzling.

They were suddenly interrupted by Scar, who had shown up out of nowhere. "What is this? You brought something down and kept it from me?" he said, sounding irritated.

Karanga was about to say something, but Shada was quicker. She stood up and blocked his path.

"Don't you dare get any closer, I am warning you," she growled, baring her fangs.

The lionesses in the meantime started eating faster, afraid that they would be robbed from this gift of a meal.

Scar tried to walk past her, but Shada blocked his path once more. He rolled his eyes, and with unexpected strength he pushed the lioness aside, making her lose her balance.

The rest of the Pride stopped eating and growled at Scar too, guarding their meal defensively.

Scar took a look at what they were protecting so ferociously, and frowned. "You're eating a hyena? That's against the rules!"

Shada, who had already recovered, walked to him again, this time poised for combat. "It's not just any hyena, it's Mashavu," she growled.

Scar glanced at her, looking slightly surprised. "Oh, yes," he said in a condescending tone, "I had been meaning to tell you. I had forgotten all about it."

He recovered his composure rather quickly and added for all of them to hear. "Either way, the hyenas won't be too pleased when they hear you've stolen and eaten her body."

"We didn't _steal _her body. Besides, they already know," Shada said, "and they are okay with it, just ask Asani. So, once again, back off."

Scar faced her once more, a smirk plastered on his face. "I have to say, I don't like your tone of voice. Is that dead hyena really worth challenging me?"

There was a short tense moment, in which the lionesses kept a close eye on Shada, in case she needed their help.

Karanga walked to Shada quickly and whispered something in her ear that Scar could not hear. He could see the lioness' rage building up, but in the end, Shada merely hissed, "I'm not challenging you. I am just making sure that you don't get one single bite of Mashavu."

Scar chuckled derisively for a moment. "I've eaten carrion more appetizing than that. You can have her," he said as he turned around with the intention to leave.

At this point, Shada lost her temper and ran after him, calling him names in the process.

"Shada! No!" Karanga screamed and ran after her. "Get back here!"

Scar heard the commotion behind him but before Shada could get to him, Karanga had already blocked her daughter's path. Scar smirked, grateful for his adoptive mother's constant loyalty.

"Let me at him! I'll rip him open like the hyenas ripped Mashavu!" Shada yelled and snarled, while Karanga tried to calm her down.

"Shada! Listen, stop! You're no match for him nor his hyenas, get a grip!" Karanga said as she wrestled Shada and pinned her to the ground.

"Listen to your mother," Scar told Shada, who was gasping and struggling under Karanga's weight, "She knows what's best for you."

Shada could not believe that Karanga had taken Scar's side on this, and all of a sudden, she lost all will to fight. She gave up and stopped struggling, feeling defeated.

Karanga could feel that Shada had given up, so she released her grip on the younger lioness, shaking the dust of her pelt as she stood up slowly.

Scar approached her and said softly to Karanga, "Keep your daughter at bay. She's caused me enough headaches already; you don't want her to end up like this troublesome hyena-"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that," Karanga said, with a look of anger on her face that Scar had not seen since her fights with her former mate Thembi. Her attitude took him aback for a moment. "I stood up to Shada just to protect her, and _not _to please you," she added, as the rest of the pride gasped and looked at each other, never expecting Karanga to finally tell Scar off.

"Mom..." Shada whispered with a smile, as she finally understood why Karanga had blocked her attack.

Scar's mouth was hanging open for a moment, as he looked for something to say.

"Fine," he said at last, looking disappointed, "I guess I know now where your loyalties lie."

"You don't know anything about my loyalties! All this time, trying to please everyone, torn between what _you_ want and what _they_ want," she hissed through clenched teeth, as she pointed with a paw towards the rest of the pride, "But regardless of where I stand, I won't let you, or anyone else, for that matter, threaten my daughters. This is where _I _draw the line! If you want to get to them, you will have to go through me first."

"Mother..." Tahlili whispered proudly. She then nuzzled Shada, enticing her to get up. Both lionesses then flanked Karanga, and gave Scar a defying look.

Scar looked at Karanga coldly. "If only you would have stood up to my father the way you're doing it now, things might have turned a lot differently..." he whispered to her, and left without another word.

The memories of those days sent nasty shivers down Karanga's spine, since she often wondered herself what would have happened if she had done a better effort in putting a stop to Thembi's nonsense. She had wished time and time again that she could turn back time and do things differently, But now, having Scar himself reproach her that what she had done, had not been good enough, it hurt her just as much as if he had slashed her chest open with his sharp claws.

The Pride congregated around her and whispered words of comfort, but Karanga, as was her custom, excused herself and walked away to deal with her sorrow alone.

* * *

><p>As weeks went by, Ndani started feeling different, and she feared that she might be expecting Haji's cub after all. She didn't dare to talk to anyone about it though, but it was Sarafina who noticed it first. Thinking that she was finally expecting Scar's cub, Sarafina couldn't help but feel happy for her sister, and even offered to go to Rafiki together.<p>

Ndani appeared shocked at first, as she didn't know how much the Pride Landers knew about what had really happened. "How did you know?" she asked.

"Well, your tummy's kinda swollen, and I saw you throwing up earlier this morning..." Sarafina told her, "Come on, don't you want me to tag along?"

Ndani looked around, unsure of what to do, but in the end she accepted Sarafina's company and they headed to the baobab together.

"We haven't talked much lately," Sarafina said as they walked, "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages... Is everything okay?"

"Sure, sure," Ndani replied a bit too quickly, "I've been spending some time with the Outlanders. Now that Njano has recovered we've been scouting the area for food."

"Have you had better luck than us?"

"We found mostly carrion, but my friends are not picky," she replied, "I think I will wait a bit longer before I resort to that..." she said with a grimace of disgust.

Sarafina chuckled for a moment and sighed, knowing that if things didn't improve, they too would have to start looking for other alternatives to keep alive.

"How's that bump on your head?" Sarafina asked after a while.

"Oh, it's gone already, but they tell me there's a small scar left. I didn't know you knew about that..." Ndani said uneasily.

Sarafina took a look at Ndani's head and nodded. "Well, we wanted to know why Zazu was locked up in the cave, so he told us what happened. He said a rogue attacked you or something?"

Ndani nodded but didn't go into details.

"Well, glad to hear it's healed already," Sarafina said sincerely, but then hushed, as she appeared to have heard something.

"Listen to that..." Sarafina said, smiling.

Ndani perked her ears and caught the sound of Rafiki, happily singing on top of his tree.

"He sounds chipper," Ndani admitted.

"It was about time! Something was eating him up, but he wouldn't talk about it. Perhaps he's managed to sort it out... Come on."

Sarafina quickened her pace and called for Rafiki once they reached the base of the tree.

Rafiki peeked down and climbed down to greet them.

"Hey, Rafiki, you look happy!" Sarafina said as she nuzzled him gently.

Rafiki hugged her and laughed. "I just got a good omen in my shell, a very good one too. I've been waiting for something, and the shell says I will find out soon."

"Is it rain? Are the herds coming back?" Sarafina asked with enthusiasm.

"I can't tell at this point, my dear, but it's supposed to be the answer to all our problems!" The baboon replied, and jumped around in glee, while Sarafina batted at him playfully.

"You tell that to the lionesses, okay? Make sure they don't lose hope!" Rafiki said.

"Will do!"

Ndani in the meantime just sat down and looked at them, too worried to partake in their joy.

Sarafina noticed and settled down as she cleared her throat. "Anyway, Ndani wanted to ask you something..."

Rafiki turned to Ndani and his smile faded for a moment. "Oh... Is it what I think it is?"

Ndani shrugged and looked away.

Sarafina looked at them puzzled for a moment, as Rafiki approached Ndani and examined her belly closely.

He then patted Ndani on the shoulder and gave her a small, somber nod, which confused Sarafina even further.

"How many?" Ndani asked without enthusiasm.

"Two, at least," Rafiki replied.

Ndani swallowed with difficulty, while Rafiki examined the wound on her head, looking satisfied at the result.

Sarafina now was sure that she was missing something, while Rafiki hugged Ndani and patted her back encouragingly.

Ndani turned to Sarafina and whispered, "Was there something you needed to do here, or can we head back?"

Sarafina tilted her head and said, "Well... since we're here already... Rafiki, would you mind looking into your shell for me? Perhaps for a sign of Nala's whereabouts?"

Rafiki grinned and went to collect his scrying supplies, while Sarafina glanced at Ndani and asked her if she was okay.

Ndani simply nodded and muttered, "I'll explain later."

Rafiki returned and placed his tortoise shell in front of Sarafina. He rubbed Sarafina's flank to get some of the loose hair, and placed it inside the shell.

Ndani's curiosity got a hold of her, and she sat down next to Sarafina, looking into the shell with interest. She had heard about Rafiki's abilities, but never witnessed it herself.

Ndani gasped as the water in the shell started rippling, as if an elephant had been marching right next to them. She looked around, but there was nothing that could be causing the water to move.

Rafiki stared into the rippling water with a look of concentration on his face. "Hmm... I can't exactly see what Nala is up to... But I can tell you for sure that she's alive, and healthy. The general feeling I can gather is that she misses the Pride a lot. That's all I can tell you for now, I'm afraid."

Sarafina's eyes teared up, and she thanked Rafiki as her voice broke down slightly.

Rafiki turned to Ndani with questioning eyes. "Would you like me to try and see what I can predict for you?"

"Er... I dunno... What if it's something bad?" she said, uneasily.

"Then I'll keep it to myself, don't worry," Rafiki told her with an encouraging grin.

Ndani accepted after some brief consideration, and sat closer, as Rafiki set up the shell for her.

"All right, let's see..." Rafiki muttered, and stared into the water.

He kept silent for a long time, as the water remained still, as if it was frozen. Rafiki sat back, holding his chin with one hand thoughtfully.

"What? What's wrong?" Ndani asked him, but Rafiki hushed her.

"Just give me a minute..." the baboon said.

Ndani stared into the shell nervously, her own breath making the water ripple slightly.

Rafiki opened his eyes wide. "Do that again," he said.

"Huh? Do what?" Ndani said, her breath making the water ripple again.

"That!" Rafiki pulled the shell to him and was now holding it very tight in his hands, staring so deep into it that his nose almost touched the water.

Eventually he looked up and whispered, "The cubs..."

Ndani shifted her weight slightly. "What about them?"

"They'll live..." Rafiki said, giving her a wide grin.

Ndani's eyes widened. "How is that possible? You heard him yourself!"

Sarafina looked from Rafiki to Ndani, not following a word they were saying.

"I don't know, I just know what I just saw and they were jumping and playing around!" Rafiki said, "Something will happen that will change his mind. You'll just have to figure out what..."

"Can't the shell tell?" Ndani said, looking more excited than before.

Rafiki looked, but the water was still again. He shook his head. "I'm afraid this is all we're getting for now... But it's good news, don't you think?"

Ndani nodded and smiled for the first time since they had arrived at the tree.

"Okay, I have no idea what just happened here, but if it's good news then I'm happy," Sarafina told them, as Ndani and Rafiki chuckled.

"Let's go home, I'll explain," Ndani told her, and both lionesses thanked Rafiki and headed back to Pride Rock.

Rafiki smiled and waved at them, but his grin faded once the lionesses were far enough. He waited until they were out of sight, and he concentrated on the shell again. The water in it had not changed colour, and it remained as still as before, but when Rafiki tried to shake the shell to make it ripple, he discovered the water had turned into a thick, gelatinous substance.

Rafiki knew very well that the lack of movement and the solidification of the water could only mean one thing.

He looked up and stared sadly into the distance, in the direction Ndani and Sarafina had taken, but he decided to be true to his word, and he kept the bad news to himself.


	22. A Difficult Pact

_Chapter 22_

**A Difficult Pact  
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As Ndani and Sarafina walked back to Pride Rock, Ndani confided in her sister, and told her what had happened the day the rogues crossed the border.

"Scar had said several times that he didn't want anything to do with any possible cubs resulting from this, and he even took me to Rafiki to see if there was anything he could do to avoid or terminate a pregnancy."

Sarafina listened raptly, understanding now Rafiki's and Ndani's reactions earlier that day.

"Rafiki told him to go to hell, of course, so Scar said he'd take care of them after birth. I hated to think that I'd have to carry these cubs inside me, only to see them die the minute they were born."

"So, you do want them?" Sarafina asked, hesitantly.

"I don't know... The idea of being pregnant from that jackass repulsed me at first, but since a few days I've been feeling different, I just can't explain..."

Sarafina smiled slightly. "It's the motherly instincts kicking in. You just wait until you feel them moving inside you, you'll go mad!"

Ndani chuckled for a moment. "Now I'll just have to find out what could possibly make Scar want these cubs, or at least let them live..."

"Well, the answer has to come to you within three full moons more or less, so keep your eyes and ears open."

The lionesses reached Pride Rock. "Are you going back to the Outlanders now?" Sarafina asked her.

Ndani nodded. "Thanks for your company today, it felt good to catch up..."

Sarafina nuzzled her. "Don't be a stranger okay? Remember, we're still your Pride..."

Ndani didn't reply but nuzzled Sarafina back all the same.

"See ya..." she said, and turned around in search for Zira and her mates.

She found them not far away. Apparently Scar had already returned from his rounds and Nuka was retelling what they had done and seen that morning.

"I must admit, he's doing a better job than I thought. You made it sound like he was a dimwit when you were teaching him," Scar told Zira once Nuka had ran off to play with Malaika and Jasiri.

"Yeah, well, marking around and hunting for food are two different abilities, my dear," Zira said grinning, "I challenge you to take him hunting, and then you can come and tell me whatever you want about my teaching skills."

Ndani sat down nearby, looking at them closely. Zira had spent a lot of time with Scar lately, and she even had picked up some of his mannerisms, sounding more refined and cursing a lot less than before.

"That's going to end in disaster, me not being a good hunter myself," Scar said as he lay down by Zira and groomed her face.

Zira stretched as she enjoyed Scar's attention, and then flopped on her back, exposing her belly to him, something Zira would never do around a male.

Ndani could tell they were clearly at ease with each other, and she felt suddenly out of place. She was already walking away when Scar spotted her. He hesitated for a moment, but then pretended he didn't see her and carried on grooming Zira.

Eventually Njano and Kahawia approached them. "We're going to look for food, I heard from that buzzard, Mkosi, that a leopard had abandoned his kill up in a tree, maybe we can snatch it?"

Zira rolled back on her belly and stood up. "Good idea. I'll go with you, see if I can still remember the climbing tips we learned from our old friend Umande..."

"Was that that leopardess you used to hang out with?" Scar asked.

The lionesses nodded in reply.

As they started stretching their muscles, Zira whispered at Scar, "In the meantime, I left you a little something inside the cave, behind the plateau."

Scar grinned and stood up.

"We'll ask Ndani to keep an eye on the cubs, have ye seen her?" Njano asked.

"I think she went that way," Scar said as he pointed with his paw in the direction he saw her leaving. "Good luck and I'll see you all later."

The lionesses walked away, followed by the playful cubs, in search of Ndani. Scar in the meantime headed to the cave, to see what Zira's surprise was.

Scar walked past Zazu without even glancing at him, and said, "My, my, you're still alive? I suppose the lionesses have been sneaking you worms for breakfast?"

Zazu remained quiet. The truth was that he had never been so well fed than when he got locked up. He received visits from the lionesses throughout the day and all of them carried insects and worms for him to eat. The lack of exercise was getting to him so he felt he was even starting to put on some weight.

Scar shrugged and muttered, "I'd rather die, than being locked up, if I were you."

"I haven't lost hope yet, sire," replied Zazu, seeing how the lionesses tried to free him up every day.

Scar walked around the plateau and found a small, dead badger, Zira's token of love for him. She hadn't even taken a bite off of it, leaving it complete for him to finish.

Scar grinned and started eating, while Zazu looked away with disgust. The hornbill's constant, loud sighing was starting to get on Scar's nerves.

"Can't you cut it out with that sighing?" Scar muttered, irritated.

"What else am I to do, sire? Sing you a song while you dine, perhaps?" Zazu asked, rolling his eyes.

Scar flopped on his back as he nibbled on one of the badger's bones and picked his teeth with it. "Why not? Go ahead," Scar said, finding it a good way to humiliate Zazu further.

"Just in case you didn't notice, I was being sarcastic," Zazu replied.

"Sing a song, or I'll pluck out your feathers one by one," Scar said, throwing him a warning glare.

Zazu refused to sing at first, but then Scar reached out with a paw and managed to get a hold of one of his feathers, pulling it tight.

"Okay, okay!" Zazu finally said, and cleared his throat.

As he started to sing, Shenzi and her siblings happened to be congregating outside the cave.

"Those damn lionesses are still lying around! Just when are they gonna go hunting?" Banzai asked.

"I told you, they say they aint' hungry! They must have eaten something without us or Scar knowing."

Ed chuckled, as he listened to Zazu sing, totally ignoring his siblings for the time being.

"Yeah, well, I don't care, _we _are hungry so I want them to get up and move their butts," Banzai said as his stomach growled slightly.

"You got a point... Scar said we'd have all the food we wanted, and right now it feels like we're back in the graveyard again. Let's see if we can make him kick his lionesses into gear..."

Banzai nodded, and he and Ed followed Shenzi into the cave, only to find that Zazu had stopped singing, and Scar was scolding him for something. They couldn't tell what had caused his outburst of anger.

"I only mentioned it to illustrate the differences in your... royal managerial approaches..." they heard the bird say, sounding slightly afraid and apologetic.

"Hey, boss!" Banzai yelled, distracting Scar, while Zazu let out a relieved sigh. He watched as the hyenas complained about the lack of food in the Pride Lands, and the fact that the lionesses were refusing to hunt. The hornbill grinned to himself, as he knew that the Pride had all agreed to try and survive from small animals and rodents instead, since they were only wasting their energy traveling so far, only to return and have Scar and the hyenas take most of their meal. For now, it was every lioness for herself. They hoped that if Scar finally went hungry himself, that he would finally decide to move on and find another place to live.

Zazu got scared for a moment when he heard Scar offering him as food to the hyenas, but they were more upset at the fact that Scar wasn't taking them seriously.

Banzai eyed Zazu, whom he could eat in a single bite or two, and sighed, whispering in Shenzi's ear, "Man, I thought things were bad under Mufasa-"

"Uh, oh," Zazu thought, and witnessed Scar's temper flaring again at the mention of his late brother's name, resulting in the lion chasing the hyenas out of the cave, without listening to their complaints. Scar returned to the plateau, feeling a lot moodier than before.

"The nerve... to compare me to Mufasa, when I allowed them to live here, and eat from our food!" Scar snarled as he flopped back down on the plateau, "When was the last time Mufasa invited a hyena over, huh? Tell me!"

Zazu assumed Scar was addressing him and replied, "He never invited one over, as far as I know. But at least the hyenas then had the chance to come and poach here every now and then. Now there's not even that possibility, with all the herds gone..."

Scar snarled and stood up quickly. "Stop pushing your luck, stupid bird," he hissed, and left the cave hastily, leaving Zazu all by himself.

The hornbill stretched his wings as much as he could inside his small cage, and hummed to himself the catchy tune he had been singing for Scar earlier.

* * *

><p>Ndani hadn't confirmed to anyone yet that she was with cub, but as time went by, it became very obvious and she could not hide it any longer.<p>

Sarafina, without revealing Ndani's secret, had asked the lionesses in the Pride to be discrete about it, explaining that Ndani was in a delicate situation, and she would appreciate it if they didn't make a fuss about her condition.

The Outlanders, on the contrary, didn't hesitate in pointing out how big her belly was, for the small meals they've had lately.

"Has Scar confronted you about this already?" Zira asked her.

"No need. He'd already warned me that if I'd ended knocked up, that he'd dispose of the cubs himself."

Zira's eyes opened wide. "Did he actually say that?"

Ndani raised an eyebrow. "You find it that hard to believe? They're not his cubs, after all..."

"No, but neither was that Nala lioness, and he still spared her life..." Zira said, looking thoughtful.

Ndani lay down on her side and sighed. "I suppose he could change his mind, but he seemed pretty determined, last time I spoke to him."

"What about you?" Kahawia asked her, "Would you like to keep them?"

"What I want doesn't matter, so it is best if I don't get too attached to them," Ndani replied.

"Must be terrible, having to go through pregnancy and birth knowing beforehand that the babies won't stand a chance..." Njano said, staring sadly at Ndani's belly.

Zira stood up quickly and padded towards Ndani. "Could I have a word with you?"

"Huh? Right now? I was about to take a nap..." Ndani said, trying to stifle a yawn.

"It's important, come on," Zira urged her.

Ndani grunted and stood up again, feeling more tired than usual. She followed Zira, leaving the other two lionesses behind.

Zira led Ndani to a secluded place and eventually sat down, facing Ndani. "Perhaps we can find a solution to this, if we reach an agreement."

"I'm all ears," Ndani said, looking drowsy.

"You know I'll never be able to have healthy cubs, but I am dying for them, right?"

Ndani raised an eyebrow. "And...?"

"Let's be honest here. I know you don't really want the cubs of a stranger anymore than Scar does. So I was thinking... Why don't you give the cubs to me, and I'll raise them as my own?"

Ndani blinked a couple of times, looking surprised. She wondered if this would be the beginning of the chain of events that would lead to her cubs surviving and thriving, just as Rafiki had predicted.

"What about Nuka?" Ndani asked, "He's still too young and depends on you for a lot of things."

"Don't be an idiot, I'm not planning on ditching Nuka for the new cubs. I just want to experience what it is like to have a normal cub for once. Come on, Ndani. After this, you and Scar can have another go at the whole heir business, and these new cubs won't get in your way. Think about it!"

Ndani pondered for a moment. "Scar's mind was made up. First see if you can change the way he feels about all this, and then we'll talk."

Zira looked at her intently. "Well, let's say I manage. Will you give the cubs to me after birth, so I can raise them?"

"You really want them that badly, huh?" Ndani asked, feeling uneasy at Zira's insistent tone of voice.

"I'd kill for healthy cubs," Zira replied, "Since I can't have them, you have in your paws the power to make me the happiest lioness on the Savannah, that's for sure."

Ndani still looked hesitant, so Zira pressed on. "If I can raise them, at least you can still nurse them every now and then, and watch them grow up too. Wouldn't you prefer that, than watching their lives extinguished minutes after birth?"

Ndani had to admit that it sounded better than the future in stock for the cubs at the moment. "Fine... You can adopt them after birth, now just make sure Scar won't touch them."

"Leave that to me," Zira said and simply ran off without another word, leaving Ndani looking confused. The lioness sighed and lay down to take her nap right there and then, having no energy to walk back to Pride Rock.

* * *

><p>Zira had to wait for the right time to approach Scar. He had been rather moody ever since his last conversation with the hyenas, and even days after the incident, the lion was still prone to growling for no apparent reason.<p>

One evening, Zira made up her mind and decided today was as good as any. She didn't want to wait any longer.

"Dear, you've been in an awful mood lately, how about we take a walk together, just you and I?" Zira said as she rubbed her body against his.

Scar looked at her and tried to determine if she was in season again, and whether he needed to turn her down, but Zira didn't appear to be, so he stood up and accepted her invitation.

They walked together doing small talk, and when they finally reached a quiet spot, far away from any prying hyenas, Zira decided to address the subject she wanted to discuss with him.

"I had a heart to heart with Ndani the other day, did she tell you anything about it?"

"No," Scar replied, staring ahead, "We haven't talked in a while, actually."

Zira invited Scar to sit down and she started grooming his mane. "You do know that she is with cub, don't you?" she said between licks.

"Did you bring me here to discuss this?" Scar said, looking slightly annoyed.

"I actually did, yes," she replied, her answer taking him aback for a moment.

Scar sighed. "Yes, I couldn't help but notice the bulge in her stomach," he added with disgust.

"I know neither you nor Ndani care much for those cubs, so I've asked her for a favor. I told her to give them to me, and I will raise them as my own."

Scar turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "You? But I thought you already had enough with Nuka."

"You know Nuka was not what I was looking for in a cub, Scar. I want to experience what it is like to raise normal, healthy cubs! Either way, Ndani already said I could have them, but that I would also have to persuade you not to hurt them after birth."

Scar stood up, pacing back and forth for a moment.

Zira sat up straight. "You already spared the life of a cub years ago. Surely you can do it again?" she asked.

Scar grunted slightly. He should have known that the whole Nala stunt would come back to bite him eventually, but in front of him stood the only lioness he didn't feel like disappointing at this point. He knew how much it had meant to Zira, knowing that he had allowed a cub to live after he took over the throne.

Seeing Scar was still not convinced, Zira padded to him and nuzzled him under the chin. "You know I'm not able to get cubs on my own, and there's a lioness back there, who's willing to give me her own. Please don't deny me that, my love..."

The lion looked thoughtful for a while. While Zira had already given up on the idea of having more cubs, now that this opportunity had arisen, he knew the lioness would never forgive him, if he were to simply dispose of the rogue's cubs. In the end, Scar gave in to Zira's demands. He sighed deeply and nodded at her. "Fine, you can do as you wish with them."

Zira gave him a huge smile. "Thank you, my beloved. You and Ndani have made me extremely happy tonight. I'll make it up to you, you'll see."

Scar couldn't hide a small smile, seeing how affectionate Zira had been behaving. "Are you always going to be this friendly when you want something from me?" he asked, enjoying her constant nuzzling.

Zira gave him a seductive smile and whispered, "Mmhmm. And soon you'll discover I get even friendlier once I get my way."

Scar blinked a couple of times. "But you're not in-"

The lioness placed a paw on his mouth to hush him, and motioned for him to follow her. Scar said nothing more, and they both disappeared into the darkness of the night.

* * *

><p>The Pride had managed to find enough burrowing animals to keep them fed, although the meals were not as satisfying as what they were used to. But it meant not having to hunt far away, so they would take what they could find.<p>

The hyenas kept complaining but Scar told them to deal with Sarabi herself, who was in charge of the hunting party anyway. The disgruntled hyenas kept bothering the lionesses to go hunt, but they refused.

Unfortunately for the Pride-Landers, Scar was not going hungry at all, as the Outlanders continued to share their meager meals with him, and Zira had made a habit of hunting special treats for him too. Those two were inseparable lately, and everyone though it would be a matter of time before Ndani was demoted as Queen, especially now that she was carrying the cubs of a rogue.

Ndani had heard the rumours, but for the first time, she wasn't too bothered about the possibility of being demoted. When she tried to confront Scar about it, he dismissed her, telling her that they've been through that nonsense earlier already. But his cold and distant attitude was enough for Ndani to see that if he had ever felt a small spark of interest in her, it was extinct by now. She too felt it was only a matter of time.

"I'm going to Rafiki for a check-up," she said one morning, hoping someone would offer to walk along with her, but Njano was nowhere to be seen, Kahawia was busy grooming her cubs, and Zira and Scar were trying to help Nuka off a tree.

"See you later," she said softly, and turned around, heading for Rafiki's tree. When she arrived, she saw the baboon already had company; Karanga had come to see him too and they were already engrossed in conversation.

Ndani sat down and waited for her turn, but every now and then she could catch a few words of what they were saying, and she could tell they were clearly talking about Scar.

"You did what you thought was best back then, Karanga. You can't beat yourself over this. Besides, he's old enough to make his own choices now, regardless of what you did or did not do in the past. He cannot possibly think about blaming you for the kind of lion he's become today!"

"I know," Karanga replied, "I felt guilty about so many things, that I felt I owed it to him, and I tried as much as I could to support him and help him along the way... Unfortunately it's come to a point where even I have sided with the lionesses. As much as it hurts me, I cannot stand by as the hyenas have free reign, while he keeps tightening his grip on the Pride. It's not fair, Rafiki..."

"Don't lose hope, Karanga, you have to hold on. The answer will come soon, I know it! There have been so many omens, and Mufasa came to me in my dreams, telling me to be alert, to be on the lookout for the sign... Once I receive it I know things will be much clearer, and I will be able to provide you some real advise and guidance."

Karanga nodded and looked up, drying her face with a paw. It was then when she noticed Ndani in the distance.

"Oh, looks like my time's up, heh," Karanga said, shaking herself and regaining her composure. "Thanks for your time, old friend."

Rafiki smiled and whispered as he caressed Karanga on top of her head, "Any time."

The baboon then motioned Ndani to come closer. "Hi there," he greeted the lioness.

"Hi Rafiki, I'm here for my check-up, like you asked," Ndani replied as she got closer.

Karanga tilted her head. "Check-up? Why? Are you feeling sick?"

Ndani shook her head. "Not really, but he asked me to come."

"Just a precaution, just a precaution," Rafiki said, without going into details as to why he was keeping close tabs on Ndani lately.

"Hey, wanna wait for me and we walk back home together?" Ndani asked Karanga, perking her ears up hopefully.

Karanga smiled and nodded. "Shall I wait for you over there?" She asked, wondering if Ndani wanted to be alone with Rafiki, but Ndani shook her head.

"You can stay, it's okay," the Queen replied.

Rafiki examined the lioness thoroughly, asking her questions about her general health and how she was feeling, but Ndani had nothing particular to report, other than a case of morning sickness here and there.

"There is something I need to tell you, Rafiki. Remember your prediction from a while ago?" Ndani asked.

"How could I forget? Have you found the way?" Rafiki replied, looking at her with curiosity.

"Yup. It's all sorted out! Turns out Zira wants to adopt the cubs, and of course, Scar didn't say no to her," she added, with a hint of bitterness, "He's even told me to be careful, and he asked the Outlanders to save extra food for me to make sure there's no problems during the pregnancy, go figure..."

"I see... And are you okay with this arrangement?" Rafiki asked her, as he massaged Ndani's belly gently.

"Yeah... I guess so..."

Rafiki took a deep breath. "Well, everything seems to be in order, but remember, if you feel anything strange, you come see me right away, okay?"

"I will, Rafiki, I promise," Ndani said, wondering why he sounded so concerned about her well being as of lately.

The lionesses bid him goodbye and walked away together, as Rafiki stared at them, looking a bit puzzled. "She's in perfect health..." he muttered to himself. He shook his head and climbed up his tree, still in deep thought.

* * *

><p>Karanga and Ndani took a detour to the waterhole, and for a moment they politely avoid questioning each other about what they had heard by Rafiki's tree.<p>

In the end, Karanga took the initiative and told Ndani, "I'm glad I met you by the tree, I've been meaning to talk to you, ask you how things were going and all..."

Ndani gave her a small smile and in her usual honesty she replied, "Things could be better,"

"I know it's none of my business, but... I heard about your pact with Zira and I was wondering... Do you really think you will be able to give up your cubs?"

"You do know about the circumstances in which they were conceived, right?" Ndani replied as she bent down to drink some water.

"We've heard rumours only, but putting two and two together, I think I can assume what happened. But even then, once you feel them grow inside you, it's a whole different story... I just want you to be prepared for something that might be a lot harder than you think."

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Ndani said, sighing slightly, "I'm kinda more worried about what my role in the Pride will be, after all this is done 'n over with."

"Is Scar's preference for Zira finally getting to you?"

"Yes... and no... It's like... I dunno why, but lately I feel outta place when I'm with him, and when I am not, I just... sort of don't miss him as much as before."

Karanga gave Ndani a slightly puzzled look.

"It's like, I kinda miss him and finally when he's around me, and he's all cold and distant, it just pisses me off and I want him outta my sight. Does this make sense to you?"

Karanga looked at her and nodded, "It does. It's like they fail to realize that we do eventually get tired of chasing after dreams."

Ndani looked at Karanga and although she knew the lioness was very reserved on the subject, she still ventured to ask, "Is that what happened to you, with Thembi?"

Karanga let out a soft chuckle. "To say I got tired would be putting it mildly, sweetie. I was exhausted."

Ndani let out a sigh of relief, seeing that Karanga was open to discussing the subject. "You rarely talk about him, but the stories I heard were that you were madly in love with him. How could it end so badly, then?"

Karanga let out a deep breath and stared dreamily into the distance. "It is true, I was very much in love, which blinded me in ways that I regret very deeply now. However, love has to come from both sides, Ndani. And while I kept on giving, Thembi kept on taking, without giving much in return. I ran out of things to give at some point and things went downhill from there."

Ndani listened raptly, taking in her every word.

Karanga went on, "After seeing Scar spending so much time with Zira, and you fading into the background, I was afraid that you might be going through something similar too. Now, while I don't like discussing my days with Thembi, if it helps you out, then I am willing to answer your questions. But I trust this conversation will remain between you and me only."

Ndani felt her eyes watering for a moment, never knowing that Karanga cared that much for her so as to entrust her with her secrets, only to help her during these difficult times. "I promise," Ndani said, "Please keep on going... What happened when you didn't feel like giving any more?"

"It sounds dumb, but that's when Thembi started to show more interest in me. But by then, I was out of love and I had become as cold and distant as he ever was. However, from what I could see, you and Scar have a much better relationship, so I hope you will end up in better terms."

Ndani bit her lip for a moment. "Did you two ever made up at some point?"

"Not completely. While we stayed civil, we could never really forgive each other. But I think we made our peace the day he died. When I saw him, bleeding and wounded, there was no denying that my heart still felt something for him, which I had managed to repress all that time. I gave him my blessing and told him to go and be happy at the side of the only lioness he really loved."

Ndani dried her face with a paw. "Sounds a lot like what's been on my mind lately... I feel like I have to step aside, give them my blessing kinda, and let him and Zira rule this joint without me in the middle. I mean... Scar and I were good friends, I suppose we can return to being good friends only... That doesn't have to change, right?"

Karanga shrugged slightly, "It's easier said than done; it's up to you both to work it out, sweetie."

Ndani looked thoughtful for a moment. "If there's anything you learned out of your whole ordeal with Thembi... What's the lesson you'd pass on to me?"

It was obvious to Ndani that Karanga was having a difficult time answering this question.

Karanga paced around thoughtfully for a while before she finally whispered, "It's hard to say, Ndani... Thembi and Scar have two very different personalities... Scar seems to keep his cool more, and is more into mind games than physical violence, while Thembi was a very physical lion with a terrible temper, always resorting to brute strength..."

Ndani looked at Karanga, as her words sank in. "Oh, man... I knew he gave Scar a coupla beatings... But... Did he also hit you?" she asked, remembering the many times Karanga would disappear for a few days after they fought. It all made sense suddenly, and Karanga's reaction seemed to confirm her suspicions.

Karanga was shaking slightly, whether it was fear or anger, Ndani could not tell. "Thembi's nasty mood seemed to flare up at the slightest thing that Scar did. I learned to recognize the signs, that look on his face... so I'd quickly send Scar on an errand, and let Thembi take it out on me. Sometimes I was successful in calming him down, but others, I wasn't that lucky. I took more beatings for Scar than he will ever know."

Ndani gasped with a look of horror in her face, she had never imagined how far Karanga had gone to protect her adoptive cub.

"He didn't beat me senseless, sweetie, don't worry. Just a few slaps that would have done more harm on a small cub's body than my own. I could take it. And he never used his claws."

"Don't make excuses for him, Karanga, that's just plain wrong, what he did... And Scar never found out?"

Karanga shook her head. "No. I would take him on a walk, we'd spend a few days away from the Pride. He was too young to figure it out, though he could tell we'd go on those long walks whenever I was feeling down."

"Do you ever plan on telling him?"

"No," Karanga replied quickly, "What's done is done. I can't change anything and he already hates his father enough as it is. What good would it do?"

"He'd have to eat his words, for starters! I heard about what he told you that day you defended Shada. If only he knew that you did stand up to Thembi to defend him in a way he can't even begin to imagine..."

Karanga shook her head again. "Just let it go, Ndani. I hope you will keep your word and won't tell him anything."

"Yes... Yes, I'm sorry if I crossed a line," Ndani said, nuzzling Karanga gently. "And to think that you went through all that, and Scar wasn't even your own cub..." she whispered.

Karanga smiled for a moment. "You have no idea how attached you can become to a cub, regardless of whether they are your sons or not. Which leads me back to my original question... Are you sure you're willing to give your own cubs away?"

Ndani shook her head. "No, I'm not, but I do know for sure what I have to do, to ensure they survive. That's what it's all about..."

Karanga nuzzled Ndani. "It's a very difficult choice you're being forced to make... If you need someone to talk to about this, please don't hesitate and come to me."

"Thanks, I'll certainly will," Ndani replied, feeling a lot better after this conversation. She now saw Karanga in a different light and with added respect.

"Feel like heading back to Pride Rock now?" Karanga asked her, looking more calm and serene than before.

Ndani nodded, and both lionesses made their way back home, stopping only for a moment, when Ndani felt the first signs of life inside her, a couple of kicks that filled her with a kind of joy she could barely describe.


	23. A Sign from the Jungle

_Chapter 23_

**A Sign from the Jungle**

Scar woke up with a start after having had a bad dream. He looked around to find the cave deserted, as usual, except for Zira and Nuka, who were lying by his side.

The lion stood up quietly and headed outside. He climbed up the promontory and sat down by the edge, watching over his barren territory and remembering better times, when his land was still in full splendor. Scar cursed his luck and lay there for a while, sulking. All of a sudden, Kahawia came running up the promontory, looking a bit out of breath.

"There you are!" she said, sounding excited, "I thought you'd want to know that Ndani's finally gone into labor, only she refused to do it in the cave, seeing how she's not giving birth to the heir or princess. She's gone somewhere to be on her own, but Rafiki's nearby, in case she needed anything."

Scar nodded and stared into the distance again. "All right, thanks for letting me know."

Kahawia ran off to spread the news to the rest of the Pride, and Scar remained motionless by the promontory, feeling as if it had been only yesterday that Ndani had that encounter with the rogue lion. Time had gone by quickly for him, although the Pride-Landers complained it felt like an eternity, since the living conditions had not improved at all.

Even the Outlanders had resorted to looking for smaller prey nearby, however, they seemed to have a slightly more positive attitude. Zira's survival experiences as a youngster came in very handy and she proved to be quite skilled at hunting all sorts of small animals that lions normally wouldn't eat. But every now and then, they also longed for a real, hearty meal, only they never voiced this out loud for Scar to hear.

Scar got up after a while and went to do his rounds. He felt like being alone, so this time he didn't invite Nuka to join in. He left the young lion behind, still sleeping soundly by Zira's side.

Scar kept trying not to picture the much different scenario that would have occurred, had Ndani's cubs been fathered by himself. Scar cursed the rogue lion again under his breath, and Ndani as well, for being so naive. He felt he should linger nearby and be there for her, but a bigger part of him just wanted to get away, and in the end he decided to take a longer route while patrolling his borders.

The King didn't return until late that evening, but he heard from the lionesses that Rafiki had popped by earlier, to report that the mother and cubs were doing fine and in excellent health.

Scar simply nodded and retreated to the solitude of the cave.

Ndani, in the meantime, was resting peacefully, after having experienced the miracle of birth. It had drained her energy, but all in all, it had been a lot less scary than she had thought it would be. She remembered seeing Zira writhing in pain, and Ndani expected something similar, but her healthy cubs came into this world quick and easy, and before she realized, a male and a female cub were nursing from her for the first time.

Ndani looked at the tiny balls of fur that kept seeking her warmth and comfort, and she was so fascinated by them that she felt she didn't care much anymore how they came to be after all. Karanga had been right; seeing the babies, feeding them and keeping them warm had changed Ndani's view of things considerably, and all of a sudden she wasn't at ease with the promise she had made to Zira. During those couple of weeks she spent in seclusion and nursing her newborns, she also spent a considerable amount of time trying to devise a way to get out of that commitment.

Unfortunately, the time when she agreed to meet Zira by the gorge, to hand in the cubs to her, came faster than Ndani thought. She still had no clue how to tell Zira that she had changed her mind and how she would take the news.

As she headed to the meeting point, Ndani could already descry Zira in the distance, who was pacing back and forth impatiently. Every now and then the lioness would sit down and glance down the edge of the gorge, only to get up a few seconds later, fidgeting and pacing again.

Ndani let out a deep sigh and walked slowly, carrying the two small cubs in her muzzle.

"There you are, what took you so long?" Zira exclaimed as she saw Ndani approaching. Her expression softened slightly when she saw the two tiny cubs hanging from Ndani's mouth.

"Are they healthy?" Zira asked, as Ndani deposited the two cubs in front of her.

"Yes, healthy and strong. This is the male, and this is the female," Ndani replied, pointing at each cub.

Zira looked at them closely. The male cub had a darker pelt, whereas the female had inherited Ndani's tawny colour, plus a wild tuft of hair on her forehead, that made Zira think of a cheetah cub instead.

"That's more like it..." Zira said to herself, satisfied with the looks and health conditions of Ndani's babies.

"Well, let's head to Pride Rock, then, I can't wait to show them off!" Zira exclaimed, sounding excited.

Ndani took a step forward and placed her paws in front of the cubs protectively. "Zira... We... We need to talk..."

Zira raised an eyebrow. "Can't we do that at Pride Rock?"

Ndani shook her head and mustered all her courage to stand up to the lioness she respected and feared the most. "I was told that giving my cubs away would be harder than I thought, and they were right. I am very, very sorry, Zira, I know how much you were looking forward to this, but I can't give them to you."

Zira opened her mouth wide, but no sound came. Eventually, her expression turned very serious and she hissed through clenched teeth, "The only reason Scar spared their lives was because I asked him to. I don't think he'll appreciate you changing the plans like this. Just think... A Queen, bearing the cubs a rogue, it's ridiculous."

Ndani looked her deep in the eye and whispered, "I'm stepping down, Zira."

"What did you say?" Zira replied in shock.

"I'll step down as Queen. You can have Scar and become his mate and Queen, and you can raise your son Mnanuka as the future Prince. I will step aside and dedicate myself to these cubs instead."

Zira started pacing again, this time seething in anger, but trying to control it. "What makes you think that Scar will simply let you step down as Queen, and raise these cubs? The deal was that you'd give them to me! As soon as you break the deal, you've sentenced these cubs to death! Neither you nor I will have them! Is that what you want? You selfish, little-"

"If he wants to kill them," Ndani interrupted, sounding angrier this time, "then I will leave the Pride Lands! It's not like you will miss me anyway. Do you think I haven't noticed the exasperated looks you exchange with Scar when I join you guys for a while? You two've totally pushed me aside. I bet you wouldn't have noticed at all if I had left this place..."

Zira let out a mean chuckle. "Oh, is that what's bothering you? Well, excuse me, but if I remember correctly, your exact words were, _It's okay if you like him, we're not in love anyway, we're just friends!_" she said, imitating Ndani with a mocking tone of voice.

Ndani bared her teeth ever so slightly. "The plan was that we would both share his attentions, and it worked great for a while, but I dunno what you did to him, that lately he doesn't want to spend time with me anymore at all!"

"Oh, don't blame _me _for that," Zira hissed, "If he doesn't spend time with you, it's because he's realized you're a boring, depressing, annoying, whiny twerp. That, and the fact that you were stupid enough to trust a rogue... Trust me, that was a major turn-off for him."

Ndani couldn't believe her ears. Zira had never been so mean to her in her life, but now she was not holding back at all.

"Is that what _he_ thinks of me, or is that what _you_ think of me?" Ndani said defiantly.

"Oh, Ndani," Zira said with a vicious grin, "you don't want to find out what _I _think of you at this point. Now, just hand the cubs over to me, like we had agreed, and we'll forget that this discussion ever happened, okay?"

"No, Zira. You can have Scar all for yourself, but I'm keeping these cubs. I've even chosen names for them already this morning, including the male one, since he's got no father to name him. They're Aina and Kito. My mind is made up."

Zira growled deeply. "Is that how you repay all what I did for you? You'd be dead if it weren't for me!"

Ndani remembered that day when Zira had pulled her away from the gorge's edge, and sighed. "I think I paid you back already by inviting you into our territory, regardless of what the Pride-Landers wanted. You only were allowed to stay thanks to me, who persuaded Scar into letting you in. So I think I've paid my dues now; you can stop blackmailing me with that."

Zira was growling louder now, clearly displeased at the turn of events. Ndani couldn't remember seeing her this angry before.

"Please, Zira... I'm sorry, I just didn't know it would be this hard... I'm not doing this to spite you, I swear..." Ndani said, trying again to persuade Zira to break the deal.

But Zira wasn't listening anymore. She stared enraged at Ndani's shape, silhouetted against the setting sun, with the small cubs curled up by her paws. She wasn't thinking straight anymore, and feeling betrayed and cheated by this excuse for a lioness, Zira decided she wouldn't let Ndani get away with it.

"You had everything," Zira said as she walked closer, "A good life, a Pride to take care of you, a King as mate... And many times you were about to throw it all away by jumping off this cliff, for whatever stupid, worthless reason you had chosen that day. Excuse me if I don't believe that the miracle of life has changed you now," she spat.

Ndani looked at her, confused. "What in the world does _that_ have to do with me wanting to keep my cubs?" she said, and then looked away, staring angrily into the distance. While she remembered those days very clearly, she hadn't felt that way in a very long time.

"It has everything to do with it, Ndani... Everything."

Zira waited until Ndani was not looking, and with surprising speed, Zira pounced on the unsuspecting lioness, putting all her strength into one single jump.

Ndani had no time to react; she saw a golden blur coming at her out of the corner of her eye, and all of a sudden the air had been knocked out of her. She lost her balance and stumbled a few paces, falling to her side. Ndani braced herself for impact, only the ground she expected to hit was not there.

Ndani screamed in terror, realizing that Zira had just managed to push her over the edge of the gorge. As she fell, she could see Zira's face looking down, sporting a triumphant expression.

The falling lioness flailed helplessly, trying to hold on to something to try and slow down the fall, but unfortunately her paws couldn't find any grip, and Ndani landed hard on the bottom of the gorge. For a very short moment, she felt incredible pain coursing through all her body, that was quickly replaced by numbness. As everything around her faded to black, the Queen closed her eyes and exhaled her last breath.

* * *

><p>Ndani's ears flicked several times. She tried to pick up any sounds nearby, but her ears met only silence. She stood up without difficulty, although she knew this was impossible. There was no way she could have survived that fall and feel no pain. She finally opened her eyes, expecting to see the red and purple sky above her, but there was nothing but darkness surrounding her. Ndani understood and sighed deeply, out of habit.<p>

Ndani looked down and saw her own broken, lifeless body beneath her. It didn't bother her, she was more shocked about the fact that her best friend had just murdered her. This thought filled her with immense sorrow, and feeling alone and betrayed, Ndani roamed the darkness, as her former body slowly disappeared from her view.

* * *

><p>Zira returned to Pride Rock carrying the former Queen's cubs in her mouth and sporting a somber expression.<p>

"Hey, there she is," Kahawia exclaimed, looking excited. They had been eagerly waiting for Zira and Ndani to return, dying to meet the new cubs.

Zira put the cubs on the ground and asked, "Where is Scar?"

"He was at the cave, waiting for you to return," Kahawia said, as Njano, Jasiri and Malaika cooed at the cubs.

Nuka looked at them with mild curiosity, but kept his distance, still not totally at ease with the idea of getting siblings. Zira spent enough time with Scar as it was; Nuka didn't feel like sharing Zira with anyone else.

"Something's happened," Zira said, "Help me carry one of the cubs and come with me to Pride Rock."

It was at that moment that Kahawia realized Ndani was nowhere to be seen.

The Outlanders followed Zira to the cave, where she asked Scar if he could summon the Pride-Landers for her.

Scar did so, wondering what was wrong.

Rafiki, who had also been waiting for Ndani to return and give her a check-up, immediately felt the ground sink beneath his feet when he didn't see Ndani return with Zira. He joined the Pride-Landers and looked around uneasily.

Once the Pride had gathered around, Zira cleared her throat and simply said, "There's no easy way to say this, so here it goes... Ndani is dead."

The lionesses all gasped in unison, while Scar looked at Zira with wide eyes.

"How did that happen?" Sarafina asked, "Rafiki said she was in perfect health!"

"She was, yes... But today, after handing her cubs over to me, like we had agreed, she decided to take her own life," Zira replied and took a deep breath, as if talking about this was very difficult and caused her great pain.

There was a loud gasp and the lionesses began to whisper amongst themselves in disbelief. They glanced at Scar, who appeared to be quite shocked about this.

Zira paused for dramatic effect, and carried on, "I've never seen her so depressed in my life. She said she was glad that I was willing to take these cubs from her, and that she felt so sad and guilty for trusting a rogue, and having disappointed Scar, that she couldn't even bear to look at them."

She could see some of the lionesses had started to cry already, but Zira remained cold and somber.

"She said she had been feeling very unhappy lately, and she didn't know what to do with her life. She felt unsuitable as a huntress, as a mother and as a mate and Queen. I told her she wasn't making any sense, I tried to make her listen, but I think her self-esteem was so down in the dumps, that not even I could help her out of this dip. Her last words were, _Take the cubs, Vitani and Kovu. Raise them as your own, and make Scar a happy lion, happier than he ever was by my side. _After that, she just jumped off the edge of the gorge, without any warning. I'm sorry, I couldn't stop her..."

There was a huge commotion amongst the lionesses, and Zira enjoyed the effect of her words. She knew the Pride wouldn't have a problem believing her story, given Ndani's tendency to feel sad and down. Zira even had to conceal a smile when some of the Pride-Landers said they felt guilty and a bit responsible about what happened, having criticized Ndani's abilities at some point. Zira felt powerful, and she had no regrets. She felt she had done what was needed to get what she deserved in this life, which were all the things that Ndani never really appreciated.

Rafiki in the meantime joined the mourning lionesses, crying silently. While his scrying shell already warned him that Ndani's end was near, he never imagined the lioness herself would cause her own demise. He felt he should have paid more attention to her mood rather than her pregnancy, but it was now too late.

"I can't believe it... She seemed okay last time we spoke... Hopeful, even..." Karanga said to no one in particular.

"I guess giving birth was just too much... I wish I could have been there for her..." Sarafina added as the lionesses tried to comfort each other.

Even Huria, who never got along well with Ndani, couldn't help but shed some tears, thinking about her pride-mate's tragic end. She tried her best to be strong and comfort those who had been closer to her, including Njano and Kahawia, who were huddled together and crying on each other's shoulder.

Eventually the Outlanders and Karanga also approached Scar, offering their condolences.

The lionesses hushed when Scar finally spoke up. "Lead me to her body," he told Zira solemnly.

Mahali offered to stay behind and watch over all the cubs, while the rest of the lionesses followed Zira and Scar towards the place where their Queen had fallen.

As they reached the spot where Ndani's body should have been, they found with horror that some predator already had snatched the Queen's remains and taken them away. Scar sniffed around the ground, confirming that Ndani's scent was mixed with the disturbed soil and blood that was left. He closed his eyes tightly, and wondered, with pain in his heart, in which measure his attitude towards Ndani lately had contributed to this.

He let out a loud roar, echoed by the lionesses of his pride, letting everyone within reach know that the Queen was dead. Only the hyenas heard it, but they simply shrugged and carried on with their lives.

* * *

><p>In the upcoming days, the lions held a symbolic burial near Rafiki's tree, much like they had done with Simba years earlier. There was no body to bury, but the Pride, as well as the Outlanders, still paid their respects to the former Queen.<p>

Zira eventually discovered that her plan had one drawback; Scar was more shaken than she thought he would be, and was acting moody and distant. The lion even went away to spend several days on his own, as he tried to deal with the loss of one of his closest friends.

Zira decided to be patient and give him time, and when he returned, the lioness did whatever was in her reach to make Scar feel better.

Scar appreciated Zira's unconditional support. His bond with the Outlander became even stronger than before, and she successfully managed to pull him out of his dip.

It came as no surprise when Scar finally announced that he had chosen Zira as his new Queen, and he also welcomed Njano and Kahawia to join his Pride too, regardless of whether his lionesses actually agreed or not.

The Pride-Landers were not happy with this, so a clear division still remained between the two groups.

One morning, Rafiki had popped by the Pride Lands to check on Nuka, who appeared to be suffering from an ear infection. The young lion was rather moody and resentful. Rafiki could clearly tell that he was jealous of his siblings, who, as predicted, got most of Zira's attention nowadays.

"Tilt your head a bit for me, please," Rafiki said, as he examined the ear in question. "Hmm... When was the last time your mom groomed your ears?"

"Like... twenty years ago, or something," Nuka replied, sulking a bit.

Rafiki chuckled slightly. "You have to understand, young cubs demand a lot of attention. You were that young once too, and you kept your mother very busy, just like that."

"Ugh, but lately's just, _Kovu this, Vitani that, _it's driving me nuts!"

"Ah, so your mother decided to keep the original names Ndani gave to the cubs?"

Nuka nodded. "Yeah... Something about doing it in her memory or such."

Rafiki nodded, unaware that Zira had actually changed the original names to the ones she herself had chosen, not feeling any pangs of guilt. The lioness had never looked happier.

Nuka glanced towards Zira as Rafiki cleaned up his ear, wincing in pain every now and then. "At least Father still has time for me. Yesterday we patrolled together, and we practiced stalking. I sucked, he kept telling whenever I was about to pounce on him!"

"Well, since your mother is the new Queen, that makes you the Prince now. Scar has to teach you all you need to know for when you take his place one day."

Nuka smiled for a moment. "I know... Cool, huh? He thinks I'm doing fine, but mother is not so sure... Ouch- That hurts! Are you done yet?"

Rafiki had just squirted a gelatinous substance into Nuka's ear, that would help against the infection. He then gave him a plant to eat, against the pain, and finally patted Nuka gently on the head. "There, all done. I'm off to my tree now, let me know if it still bothers you, okay?"

"Okay, thanks," Nuka replied as he shook his head slightly. Rafiki's ointment made a squishy sound in Nuka's ear when the lion attempted to rub it with a paw.

"Don't rub it, just let it be," Rafiki said.

Nuka grunted and sniffed his paw, grimacing as he muttered, "Man, this smells like hyena crap," He then walked away, giving a dirty look towards the cubs as he walked past them.

Rafiki chuckled as he eyed the slim, lanky lion, who seemed to be having a bit of a growth spurt as of late. His legs looked too long for the rest of his body. He had survived cubhood, and was now entering adolescence, against all odds.

Rafiki smiled to himself and returned to his tree in good spirits. As he walked, he kept feeling gusts of wind around him, while the plants and branches around him remained totally still.

"Okay, you have my attention," Rafiki said out loud, as he looked around. The wind kept pushing him towards his tree, so Rafiki hurried his step. "I'm getting too old to run around like this, you know!"

Once he reached his tree, everything in it was rattling, as if a whirlwind had just passed by. Rafiki felt being pushed upwards, so he climbed to the top of the tree. "Okay, is this where you want me to be?" he yelled, but the breeze died down.

"Hmm... That was weird," the baboon told himself, as he stared ahead, feeling a little foolish. It was then when he saw, far away, the wind picking up, and a small cloud of dust heading his way.

Rafiki waited until the dust cloud reached his tree. He closed his eyes for a moment, reached out with his hand, and grabbed some of the debris, which turned out to be a tangled dust-puppy consisting mostly of dead grass, milkweed floss, sand, and what looked like some animal's hair.

He sniffed the contents of his hand for a moment, but he could not detect anything special, so instead he decided to take them to his scrying shell.

Rafiki dumped the dust-puppy into the shell, which was already filled with water. He shook it around, and waited for its contents to settle.

A gentle breeze started humming around his tree, but Rafiki was not paying any attention to the wind anymore. He was staring at the shell with wide eyes; the images and signs he saw were all pointing to the unbelievable.

The strand of hair tangled in the milkweed floss belonged to a lion, and not just any lion, but to the real King of the Pride Lands, who apparently had settled down in the jungle, for some unknown reason. He appeared to be in good health, and his resemblance to Mufasa was uncanny.

"Simba? He's... He's alive? He's alive!" Rafiki screamed, dancing around in happiness, finally understanding many things that had not made any sense before. One of them being mainly why Rafiki had never managed to establish contact with Simba in the spirit world.

"It is time!" the baboon said after quickly drawing an auburn-colored mane on the old, smeared painting he had made of Simba years ago, knowing for sure that this was the sign Mufasa had told him to wait for.

With trembling hands, he quickly started packing a small pouch with food and a few herbs and potions that could come in handy for the journey, while muttering to himself, "I'll bring back the real heir to the throne, Scar will have to step down... I understand now how this would be the answer to everything! It's the missing piece of the puzzle!" he told himself excitedly.

At that point, he felt Mufasa's presence around him quite strongly. It even made him shudder.

"Mufasa! Why didn't you tell me he was alive from the very beginning?" Rafiki started chided him, but he went into a state of trance all of a sudden.

"My dear friend, it is extremely important that no one knows my son is alive. I am really sorry I did not tell you earlier, but I knew that you would go looking for him, and Simba was simply not ready for what is about to happen. He would have been too young to face Scar, and wouldn't have stood a chance. I hope you'll understand," Mufasa's deep voice resonated inside Rafiki's head.

Rafiki nodded calmly, understanding his reasons perfectly.

"While the time to seek him up has finally come, you will find that my son has completely lost his way, and he will need our help to find it back. I will need your assistance, so I can communicate with him through you. Can you do that for me?"

Rafiki nodded again, stiff as a board.

"Good. I won't hold you any longer. Please, don't tell anyone what you've seen or heard today; the lives of Nala, Simba and his two best friends depend on it."

Rafiki snapped out of his trance and shook his head vigorously, taking him a second or two to get his bearings back after this intrusion to his mind. He finished packing his small bag, and took off in the direction of the desert.

The hyenas on patrol, used to seeing Rafiki coming and going all the time, didn't think anything of his latest trip, and let him through the border without any questions.

* * *

><p>Nala had been in the jungle for several weeks already, but unfortunately all the animals she had encountered so far were not willing to help the Pride-Landers in their fight against the patrolling hyenas. She had encountered leopards mostly, but also a family of cheetahs that used to live in the Pride Lands, but were forced to take shelter somewhere else after the food ran out. Not even they could be persuaded, and sent Nala off, telling her that this was a lion's battle: "You invited the hyenas over, now you sort this mess out on your own!"<p>

In her desperation she even tried to recruit a few venomous snakes, but they also were not looking forward to the long trip and declined.

The lioness was feeling lonely, as she hadn't managed to make any friends either, on the contrary, everyone seemed eager to chew her head off for invading their territories, and even when she explained that she came in peace, the local residents would quickly tell her off.

She missed her pride mates terribly, especially her mother, and she felt very guilty every time she hunted down something to eat. She knew that while she was strong and well fed, everyone's ribs back at home were probably showing by now. The guilt was so strong at some point, that Nala decided to fast, only looking for food when she could not take the hunger any longer. And even then, she would go for small prey.

It had been a couple of days since her last meal, but Nala tried her best to ignore the hunger pangs for a while longer. As the night fell, the lioness tried to encourage herself, reminding herself once again to be strong, and that she'd find help the day after.

Nala woke up the next morning, and as she looked around, the feeling of loneliness overwhelmed her all of a sudden. For some reason, she could not explain why, she felt she just didn't want to be alone today, and she started to cry. To make things worse, she was feeling quite hungry by now, she'd need to hunt something if she wanted to stay strong and keep on searching for help.

Eventually, Nala shook her head and got up, not even sure why she was crying anymore. She rubbed her face with a paw and headed off to look for food, while still feeling generally strange, and craving for company like she hadn't done before ever since she arrived in the jungle.

"I hope I'm not getting sick or something..." she thought, but all of a sudden it dawned on her; she was showing the symptoms that indicated she was ready to start having cubs, if she wanted.

Nala sat down for a moment, as the revelation sank in. She pondered the situation, and thought that perhaps this could work to her advantage. She would be more likely to meet a male lion now, although she hadn't seen any yet.

Nala could only hope that she would meet someone nice; someone that would be interested in her enough so as to contemplate a future with her and with her pride-mates, and thus help them out of the Pride Lands.

Nala made up her mind, and decided to take advantage of the situation. She left a few marks around the area, hoping someone would get the message soon enough.

As she walked away, the roaring of her stomach became quite a distraction, and she finally gave in and decided to concentrate her attention on the hunt for the time being, rather than on finding a lion.

Unfortunately, her attempts at catching something had failed, making her feel rather frustrated; the feeling was intensified due to her current state. But she was not about to give up yet. She had scented something nearby, and decided to go check it out, unaware that a handsome, young lion already had come across the marks she had left earlier, and was actively looking for her.

Nala managed to spot the source of the smell she detected; it was a warthog and a meerkat that were hanging out together. Nala focused on the odd pair silently, and she couldn't help herself as her mouth started watering at the sight of them.

"I should go for the meerkat instead," she immediately thought, feeling bad about eating the whole warthog all by herself, but at that moment the meerkat headed off in a different direction, leaving the warthog alone, and heading her way.

"I'm sorry, girls... You know I'd share this with you if I could," she thought, and made up her mind. She began stalking the warthog, who kept humming blissfully to himself, unaware of her presence.

The warthog kept coming closer and closer, and Nala felt her muscles tensing up, ready to jump.

At that moment, there was a slight change in the direction of the wind, and the warthog looked up, as he was able to detect the smell of an unfamiliar predator nearby. For a split second, Nala and the warthog looked at each other in the eye. He didn't have much time to react, as Nala decided to pounce on him that very same moment.

The warthog screamed and tried to escape, with Nala right behind him in hot pursuit. Her mouth kept watering as she could almost taste her meal already.

Nala saw the warthog had gotten stuck while trying to crawl under the root of a tree that had sprouted above ground, and she knew this time her hunt attempt would be successful. The meerkat she had seen earlier had also returned and was now madly trying to help the warthog squeeze through the tight space, but there was no stopping Nala anymore. She pounced with bared claws, but the sound of a male's roar nearby shocked her and she aborted the chase.

It was an adult male, and from the looks of it, he was also after the prey she had just singled out, because he kept slashing and growling at her with bared teeth.

After her initial shock, Nala did not want to appear intimidated and fought back fiercely, vaguely aware that the warthog and the meerkat were actually egging the lion on, instead of running for their lives.

While tired, hungry and out of breath, Nala still managed to pin the lion to the ground, and she stood on top of him, her body language letting him know that she would not let anyone walk over her just like that. It was at that moment when the male's expression changed; he stopped baring his teeth and looked at her with surprise.

Nala was still panting and tried to keep eye contact. She noticed his change in facial expression and was sure he had just realized the current state she was in. He would now certainly try to apologize and maybe hook up.

Although Nala was angry at him for trying to steal her meal, she had to remind herself that she had been looking for a male lion after all, and she could not let this chance pass. She was about to suggest sharing the warthog and having dinner together, when all of a sudden, the lion spoke her name.

* * *

><p>Nothing could have prepared Nala for what happened next. Simba, whom everyone had thought dead all these years, was actually alive. It was the miracle the whole Pride had been asking for.<p>

"It's like you're back from the dead... You don't know what this means to everyone, what it means _to me_..." she told Simba with a pained expression, feeling a bit silly for all those conversations she held by herself at the edge of the gorge, always thinking Simba would be listening in and protecting her from above.

"Hey, it's okay," Simba said, trying to comfort her.

Nala couldn't help herself and nuzzled him boldly, pouring her heart out to him as she did so. She told Simba how much she had missed him, and how she wished she could have shared all the important moments in her life with him.

Simba in turn nuzzled Nala back, listening raptly to her. While he was excited to have found her childhood friend back, Nala represented a confrontation with the past that Simba had not been looking forward to. Listening to Nala talking about the Pride Lands began stirring in him memories that he had worked so hard to repress, and was not looking forward to relive.

"I still remember that day very clearly, as if it had been yesterday. Scar and the lionesses were devastated after losing you and your father. Your mom was inconsolable for days, she even had to-"

Simba interrupted her, "Do we really need to go over this?"

Nala tilted her head. "Um... You mean you never wondered what happened back at home, after you got chased away by the stampeding wildebeest?"

Simba looked away. "I assumed Scar took over the throne and you guys moved on with your lives. There's not much to it, is there?"

Nala was taken aback by Simba's coldness. "Wow, that's one blunt summary... Simba, so much has happened, if you only knew-"

"Nala, please... I'm so thrilled to meet you again, can we just enjoy this moment, and not worry about what has happened?"

Nala looked away, unsure, but Simba insisted. "Come, I'll show you around the place that's been my home all these years, and maybe we can get something to eat... What do you say?"

Nala let out a deep sigh, feeling disappointed at Simba's lack of interest, but in the end she accepted Simba's offer. There would be time to talk to him later, once they had warmed up to each other, like in the good, old, days.

As she walked with Simba, Nala wondered how she would have reacted to him, had she not been in season. Perhaps Simba's attitude only seemed that cold to her because of her current state. As such, she tried not to think much of it and instead enjoyed Simba's guided tour of the place, and shared a meal together. Even though he was still quite reserved, there was still a playfulness to Simba that made Nala relieve her childhood days. She could not remember feeling this happy in a very long time, as they ran after each other and play-fought.

Simba, in the meantime, had realized that the the scent marks he had found earlier had been left by Nala herself, so he quickly dismissed the possibility of a romantic encounter tonight. However, even though they had been grossed out as cubs at the thought of being a couple, they both found out that they felt very differently now, and they were rather keen to embrace the idea instead.

Nala's wish for a mate was granted in a way she never would have expected. Not only did she come across someone she found very attractive, but it was actually someone she already knew and cared for deeply. Moreover, as she gave herself to him that night, Nala was completely sure that Simba would not let her down. He would certainly accept to return with her to the Pride Lands, to either reclaim what was rightfully his, or at least help his mother and the lionesses out of there, once he knew how horrible the situation back at home was.

But Nala's disappointment was huge, to say the least, when Simba flatly refused to go back and help, not even after she had told him about the destruction Scar and the hyenas had caused. Simba kept denying his responsibility and after having a huge argument, they angrily parted ways. Nala couldn't believe how happiness could just fade in a matter of seconds. It had been a very bittersweet reunion, which had left Nala feeling more lonely than before. If Simba, the King himself, wouldn't help them, then who would?

In the end Nala decided she could not give up, not after having found Mufasa's heir to the throne. She would give Simba and herself some time to cool their tempers down, and she would look for him again in the morning, to give it another try.

The lioness lay down to sleep, trying to ignore the frustration and sadness she was feeling, not realizing that Simba was just going through a very difficult time himself. Her presence had clearly unsettled him, but he was not sure how he could make a difference.

Nala felt the wind pick up around her suddenly and the trees started shaking violently, as if a storm was coming up. But for some strange reason, she found it very soothing. She felt very sleepy all of a sudden, and forgot about her sorrow for a moment. She fell asleep right away, replenishing her energy with some well-deserved rest, unaware that she would need it to make the journey back home the very next morning.

Not far away, Simba had been pacing back and forth and walking aimlessly, looking very troubled and pained.

Rafiki, in the meantime, had made his way across the desert and finally found the real heir to the throne. Feeling overjoyed, he was determined to persuade Simba to go back home.

Simba did not recognize Rafiki right away. He had been way too young the last time they ever met, and the baboon couldn't come to visit the Pride Lands too often after the cub's presentation, being quite busy and traveling a lot. Simba could vaguely remember a baboon popping by for a visit every so often, but the memories of him were rather fuzzy.

While Simba had dismissed Rafiki's attempts to engage him in conversation, Rafiki eventually managed to get the lion's attention by mentioning Mufasa's name. Simba followed the baboon to a nearby pool, his interest piqued. Rafiki then used the water in the pool in the same way he used his scrying shell back home, opening a path to the spirit world.

Mufasa was then able to establish a very clear connection with Simba that way, and he tried to encourage his son to return to the Pride Lands.

The young lion, aided by Rafiki, went into a trance as he stared into the water, without him even realizing it. When Simba finally came back to his senses, he was no longer by the pool, but standing on a hill, staring up ahead into the empty, dark sky. The stars appeared to be shining brighter than usual, and a gentle, soothing breeze caressed his mane, making him feel quite reassured.

Rafiki smiled as the spiritual connection was broken and Mufasa's ghost faded away. He lingered by Simba's side, to answer any questions he might have about what happened, and to provide further guidance, if needed.

Simba couldn't explain what he had just experienced, and was slightly confused when Rafiki attributed the strange happening to the peculiar weather. Did he really just see his father's ghost in the clouds, or did he imagine the whole thing? And why was it so crystal clear all of a sudden that he should return to Pride Rock to take his place as King?

But Mufasa's reassurance had been the final push that Simba needed, and finally, after some pondering, and with a little help from Rafiki's words of wisdom, the lost King decided to return to Pride Rock and reclaim his throne, and most importantly, face his past and his fears.

Rafiki screamed happily and cheered him on, wishing him good luck on the way back. Once he could no longer discern Simba in the distance, the baboon turned around and went in search of Nala. He knew that Simba and the lionesses back at Pride Rock would need the help of a strong and brave lioness like her.


	24. Simba's Return

_Chapter 24_

**Simba's Return**

Unaware that Rafiki had been able to locate the real heir to the throne, Scar went about his business as usual, ignoring the complaints of his lionesses and spending most of his time with Zira.

The lioness was thrilled with the cubs she stole from Ndani, and Scar did his best to tolerate them around him. He could not feel any connection with them though, but every time he felt he was losing his temper around the playful hairballs, he'd think of his own father, and would just walk away for a while to calm down.

This led to Scar and Nuka spending more time together as of late. Scar had decided that today they would go on patrol again, and he was waiting for Nuka to be ready, while staring distractedly in the direction of Zira's adoptive cubs.

Nuka eventually padded up to Scar, casting a jealous glare towards Vitani, who was being groomed by Zira at that moment.

"Ready when you are..." Nuka told Scar, scratching the fleas off his neck with his hind paw.

"Watch it, Nuka! You're throwing all your parasites Vitani's way," Zira scolded him, making Nuka scratch himself even more enthusiastically.

Zira growled deeply. "Nuka, I'm going to count to three. One... Two..."

Nuka stopped scratching himself, looking slightly satisfied.

Scar could clearly see his young self in Nuka at that point. Zira had made it very clear that she had a strong preference for the two new cubs, so Scar took Nuka under his care, in his own way. He was by no means a warm, loving father, but Nuka enjoyed spending time with him all the same, as well as learning from him.

The King stood up and stretched himself, yawning lazily.

Zira looked at him, and she could tell that the weight he had gained the past few years had quickly left him. While everyone's ribs were showing at this point, for some reason, Scar's lanky build made it even more obvious. Zira assumed he must be hungry, but he had never voiced this complaint out loud. He probably didn't want to give the lionesses of his Pride that satisfaction.

Zira thought about surprising him with a real, hearty meal, and she had an idea she'd try to put in action later.

"Come, Nuka, let's go," Scar said as he walked past Zira and gave her a quick nuzzle, which she returned, along with a lick on his cheek.

Scar was about to leave, when he felt the sharp pain of claws digging in the skin of his thigh. Scar turned to look and found Kovu clinging on to him playfully.

"Wanna go! Wanna go!" the little cub blurted out.

"Now, now, Kovu, you know you're still too young to go with Scar, come back to me now," Zira said, smiling proudly at the bold cub.

Scar tried to shake him off but when Kovu didn't let go, it was Nuka who swatted at him with a paw, as if Kovu was a pesky fly.

"Get off!" Nuka said through clenched teeth.

Kovu lost his grip on Scar's leg, fell hard on to the ground and began to cry.

Zira got up enraged and inspected the cub, who was a bit shaken, but otherwise unharmed. She then turned to Nuka and bared her teeth at him, growling. "If I ever see you laying a paw on him again, you will regret it, you hear me?"

Nuka cowered slightly. Seeing Zira angry at him always made him scared, and as usual, he opted for a more submissive attitude.

"Yes... Yes... I'm sorry, mother... It won't happen again."

Zira picked up Kovu and comforted him, while Vitani chased after her tail.

Scar didn't say a word, he only motioned Nuka to follow him and both lions left quietly. As they headed to the border, Scar glanced at Nuka, who appeared to be rather upset.

"What was that all about?" Scar asked.

"Dunno," Nuka shrugged and carried on walking silently. He hoped Scar would insist, but when the lion did not pursue the conversation any further, Nuka decided to open his heart to him.

"It's just... I wonder... Do you think that little rat has more potential at becoming a King than I do?"

Scar raised an eyebrow. "Kovu is not my son. What makes you think he can become King?"

"Well, I was just thinking... Mother adopted those two critters, and now that she's officially your mate, that makes you their adoptive father, right?"

Scar looked away. "No, you're wrong. I've spared their lives and taken them into the pride just to please your mother. But that doesn't make them my cubs. And even if that were the case, you're still the oldest. The right to become King belongs to you," Scar replied, as he marked a nearby dried-out bush. He glanced at Nuka, who was still clearly troubled.

"Okay, out with it," Scar finally said, feeling genuinely curious now, "Was it something Zira said?"

Nuka sat down for a moment and nodded. "I overheard her the other day, talking to Njano and Kahawia. She said I'm weak, and that I probably wouldn't be strong to stand up to a rogue. She said you'd do better to concentrate your teachings on Kovu instead, when he's older."

Scar grunted, remembering how Zira had been urging him to teach Nuka to be King, and now that he was finally at ease with the idea, Zira was now pressing to teach Kovu instead. Scar padded to the young lion and told him, "Well, that's for me to decide. And right now it's you who's here with me, and not Kovu. So, come on, get up, and start marking our lands. Don't worry about this anymore."

"Do you also think I will die soon too?" Nuka asked, sounding fearful.

Scar eyed the scruffy, unkempt lion and smirked. "I'll be honest with you, Nuka... We didn't think you'd last a week after you were born too soon, before your mother's pregnancy was due. And yet, here you are, against all odds. So I don't dare to say anything else about your life expectancy at this point."

Nuka couldn't help but grin and nodded to himself. He stood up and assisted Scar with the patrol duties, feeling in a better mood.

* * *

><p>Zira watched as Kahawia nursed Vitani and Kovu, once they were done playing. Kahawia's daughters were now old enough to eat meat only, but she still had some milk left in her, that Zira's adopted cubs welcomed hungrily.<p>

Zira watched them proudly for a while, wishing she could have nursed them herself, but the lioness then focused her attention on a buzzard that was perched on a nearby tree. It was Mkosi, who used to hang out with the hyenas every now and then.

"I'll be back in a sec," Zira said, and walked towards the buzzard with a resolute look on her face.

"Hey, Mkosi," she called from under the branch where he was perched, "Will you do me a favour and scout the area for some decent prey?"

The vulture looked down and smirked, "And what's in it for me?"

"You can have the left-overs, of course. Sounds like a good deal to me, what do you say?" Zira replied.

Mkosi nodded. "Fine, I'll see what I can spot," he said, and took off, scouting the area from above.

Zira returned to Kahawia and sat down. "I've asked Mkosi to scout the area for us... We might need to arrange a cub sitter, if he finds any herds nearby. I want to make sure we get some decent food tonight."

"I wouldn't say no to that," Kahawia said, "Should I ask Njano to watch over the cubs?"

Zira shook her head. "Let's have one of the Pride-Landers do it; I want you both with me on the hunt today."

The lionesses remained silent while the two cubs took a nap after their meal. Zira gazed at them lovingly, and Kahawia couldn't help but chuckle.

"Look at you, you're really in love with these two babies, huh?"

Zira nodded. "I just hope Scar will learn to love them in time too. For now, I can clearly tell it takes him some effort to not snarl at them, but who knows..."

"I'm more worried about Nuka actually," Kahawia said, "He really does nothing to disguise his dislike for the cubs, and I'm afraid he is a bit too rough with them most of the time."

Zira nodded in agreement. "Nuka has always been rough in his games, so I just need to keep an eye on him until he learns to control his strength around the cubs. I'm also sure he'll warm up to them sooner or later. Just the other day I caught him playing hide and seek with them shortly. Granted, it all started when Nuka was trying to get away from them, and the cubs kept finding him back. In the end I could see Nuka was enjoying the game, coughing and clearing his throat every now and then, to give them hints as to where he was hiding."

Kahawia laughed and let out a deep, satisfied sigh. While they were also suffering hunger, they were still rather content with the turn their lives had taken. Those days of roaming endlessly from place to place were over; their long trips and fights with other Prides for a place to sleep were a distant memory now.

Kahawia sniffed the air intently for a brief moment and muttered, "If I didn't know any better, it kinda smells like it's going to rain soon, don't you agree?"

Zira sniffed the air too and smiled. "It's about time, too."

The lionesses groomed themselves quietly as they waited for news from Mkosi. But the buzzard took quite long time to return, and Zira had started to give up the idea of surprising Scar with a good meal.

But Mkosi finally showed up and landed next to the two lionesses, who were already getting ready to go find some rodents to eat.

"Good news," he told them, "There's a small group of antelope up north, traveling in search for greener grass. If you leave now you can probably catch up to them and score a meal. They're tired and hungry, and not too swift on their legs."

Zira's ears perked up with enthusiasm. "Thanks, Mkosi, we'll make sure to save some for you."

Mkosi grinned and flew back to his tree, his belly growling in anticipation.

Zira stood up and told Kahawia, "You go find Njano, and I'll drop the young ones with one of the lionesses at the acacias. We'll meet by the waterhole, okay?"

Kahawia nodded, kissed her daughters goodbye, and ran off in search for Njano.

Zira and the four cubs headed towards the acacias, where she had seen the Pride Landers gathered earlier. To her surprise, only Karanga and the two young lionesses, Nyota and Maua, were there. The rest of the lionesses were nowhere to be seen.

"Where's everyone?" Zira asked, hoping that they didn't happen to hear about the antelope first.

Karanga turned to her. "Anasa had seen a couple of desert rats running around, so they're looking for them now. Did you need anything?"

Zira nodded, "Actually yes, I was hoping one of you could watch over the cubs for a while; there's something I need to do."

Karanga tilted her head, but didn't question her further. "Well, I have no idea when they'll be back, is it urgent?"

"Yes..." Zira replied, as she eyed Scar's adoptive mother thoughtfully. "How about you? Could you keep an eye on them?"

Karanga hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she could handle four adolescents and two boisterous cubs on her own, but she nodded in the end. "Fine... Will you be gone for long?"

"Hopefully not. But these four are very well behaved, they won't give you any trouble."

Jasiri and Malaika gave Karanga a shy, little grin, while Kovu and Vitani were busy wrestling each other.

Karanga sat up straight and motioned for the cubs to get closer.

"Thanks, I'll see you later then," Zira said, and she gave a quick lick to Vitani and Kovu before turning around and walking away in a hurry.

Karanga eyed the older lionesses, who were pawing the ground nervously.

Both Jasiri and Malaika knew Karanga was one of the more dominant lionesses of Scar's pride, and felt a bit shy in her presence. The other two cubs were too young to care, and were still biting each other playfully.

"All right, gather round everyone... What do you feel like doing? A game? A story?" Karanga asked, smiling warmly at them.

The lionesses looked hesitant, but it was Nyota who all of a sudden poked Jasiri with a paw and yelled "Tag! You're it!"

Karanga chuckled as she watched them running around playfully. While these youngsters were not considered babies anymore, they would still often engage in games of Tag or Hide and Seek. Soon enough, these four lionesses would be starting their hunting training, leaving little time for fun and games. Karanga smiled, looking satisfied. She was glad that they had made it past cubhood, despite the harsh times they had been living in, and thus she allowed the lionesses to run around and frolic, while they still could.

Since the cubs didn't have as much energy due to the lack of proper food, Karanga knew it was just a matter of time before they would all settle down around her, for a story before nap-time.

In the meantime, she lay down on her belly and cradled Kovu and Vitani between her paws, nuzzling them tenderly. She looked at them intently, and had to admit that even though they were not related to Scar, the male one reminded her a lot of her adoptive son as a cub, since Kovu also had green eyes and and a dark, pointy nose. As for Vitani, she also had inherited some of Ndani's traits, such as her nose and pelt color, but her features were still hard to discern so as to establish if she took after her mother or not.

Karanga let out a deep sigh, still wondering what she could have done to prevent what had happened to Ndani, but was quickly distracted when Kovu started babbling at her.

Karanga had to smile after holding a conversation with the tiny cub, that made no sense at all, but it reminded her of when Mufasa and Scar had been that age. For a brief moment she forgot all her worries and allowed herself to be a bit silly, making noises and cooing at Kovu and Vitani as they laughed in return.

In the meantime, Zira had made her way to the waterhole, where she met Njano and Kahawia, just as they had agreed. The Outlanders knew they'd have to cover a long distance, but with some luck, they'd be back around midnight, with food to share with their cubs and with Scar.

"All right, this is it girls, let's not screw things up, okay? We haven't gone hunting in a while so I know we're a bit rusty, but we gotta do our best. We got the element of surprise, remember that," Zira told them, unaware that they were being overheard by Banzai and Ed, who had popped by for a drink from the filthy, muddy water that remained from the once splendorous waterhole.

"Huh? You going hunting? Is there food nearby?" Banzai asked, interrupting Zira's pep-talk.

The lioness bared her teeth for a moment, until she realized it was Banzai, Scar's old friend.

Zira sighed deeply. "We don't know, but we've decided to go scout and see if we come across something," she lied, while Ed stared at her with a curious expression.

Banzai sat down, looking displeased. "Man, I wish the Pride-Landers would also go scouting for something. It's been forever since they last went hunting. Remember, they still have to hunt for the three of us..." he said, although his wounds and Shenzi's had completely healed already, and they were both perfectly fit to go hunting on their own.

The Outlanders knew this, but decided to not risk getting into an argument with this particular hyena, knowing that Scar held his opinion in a high regard.

"Well, we have to go, see you around," Zira said and turned around, followed by Njano and Kahawia.

Ed let out a raspy, soft laugh once they were alone, and Banzai turned to look at him. "Huh? What was that?"

Ed replicated the sound, staring with a mean look in Zira's direction.

Banzai tilted his head for a moment. "Well, if you say so, but I don't see why they'd be lying to us. I mean, they're Scar's pals too."

Ed laughed some more, this time it was one of his eerie laughs that tended to make other hyena's hairs stand on end.

Banzai scratched his head for a moment. "You do have a point; I wouldn't go telling anyone either if I knew of a place to find food right now. Hmm, I have an idea, come with me," he said, and Ed followed him, chuckling at nothing in particular every now and then.

Banzai reached the Pride Lands and headed to the tree where Mkosi was perched. "Hey, you! There's some lionesses heading up north, can ya follow them and let us know if they find food?"

The vulture laughed and flew down to the ground. "I know they'll find food, I sent them in that direction."

Banzai looked at Mkosi, slightly puzzled.

"They came to me earlier to ask if I could see any herds nearby," the buzzard added, "so I flew around and told them the herd's location, in exchange for the remains."

"Why didn't you tell us first?" Banzai demanded, while Ed nodded rapidly in agreement.

"Well, you didn't ask! Besides, you guys eat everything up, I know you won't leave anything for me," Mkosi replied, matter-of-factly.

Banzai growled for a moment, knowing Mkosi was right. "Come, Ed. I think it's time Shenzi, you and I confront those good for nothing, lazy lionesses again..."

Mkosi watched them go, chuckling to himself.

* * *

><p>The Pride-Landers had succeeded in gathering a few small rodents to eat, but the meals seemed more and more meager, as they became hungrier with every day that went by.<p>

"Let's look for a couple more rats, to bring back to Karanga and the cubs..." Sarabi said after the lionesses had eaten a little bit. The huntresses nodded and carried on sniffing the ground in search for animals burrowed underground. They were so concentrated that they didn't notice several hyenas closing in on them.

Sita and Anasa eventually managed to hunt three rats. They were certainly not enough for an adult lioness to feel satisfied, but they knew Karanga would appreciate the gesture all the same.

The lionesses placed the dead rats on a small pile as they searched for more critters, when all of a sudden, Shenzi and her siblings showed up and stood by the pile.

"Thanks! As per Scar's rules, we'll be taking these," Shenzi said, and in one single bite, each hyena took a rat and devoured it, rendering the lionesses' long search useless in a matter of seconds.

"Why you-" Sarabi said as she was about to charge, but Shada stood in front of her, trying to calm her down, reminding her of how she had already gotten in trouble before, for attacking Scar's friends.

Shenzi gave them a nasty grin and paced in circles around them. "Don't waste your time hunting here. Mkosi has spotted some herds up north. Your pals, the Outlanders, are already on their way. What are you waiting for? Get a move on!"

"You know very well that's a lie, there are no more herds around and you guys know it," Sarabi hissed, still baring her teeth at them.

"How would you know, if you haven't gone looking for them in forever? Now get off your lazy ass and go hunt!" Banzai snarled.

Shada eyed Shenzi and growled deeply, still resentful about what she had done to Mashavu. "If you're so sure there's food out there, why don't you go hunt it yourselves?"

"Ah, we would," Shenzi said, "but these wounds of ours, they're taking some time to heal, you know..." she added, while Banzai put on a painful expression as he raised his shoulder where Sarabi had scratched him a while ago.

Sarabi growled deeper, but the hyenas were not intimidated.

"We're not going hunting," the lioness snarled, "unless we move somewhere where we know there's food for certain, and where we know we won't be wasting our energies in vain. You tell that to Scar! Now leave us alone!"

"Oh, you can be sure we will tell him, and you'll regret not having gone hunting today," Shenzi threatened the lionesses in general, and she turned around, leaving swiftly, followed by the rest of her clan.

As Shenzi walked away, she approached the hyena escort that had accompanied the lionesses, and in hushed tones she ordered them to remain with the Pride, no matter what they saw or heard. The hyenas nodded, feeling confused, and a bit uneasy after seeing the lionesses seething in anger.

"Come on," Sarabi said eventually through clenched teeth, after the hyenas had left, "It's no use cursing at thin air. Let's see if we can find anything else for Karanga and the cubs..."

With very low spirits, the lionesses resumed their search, as dark clouds began to block the sunlight, and the sound of thunder rumbled far in the distance. Despite their anger, they couldn't help but smile a bit, as they looked up to the darkened sky with much anticipation.

As Shenzi and her siblings walked back to Pride Rock, she couldn't help cursing out loud. She was clearly not pleased with the outcome of her talk with the lionesses, and was searching for Scar, who still had not returned from his patrolling session with Nuka.

"What's the use, Shenzi? Scar'll just tell us to sort it out with the lionesses directly, like he always does," Banzai said, looking angry and frustrated.

Shenzi shook her head. "Oh, no, not this time, Banzai. This calls for desperate measures, and if Scar doesn't stick to his part of the plan, which was making sure we'd never go hungry again, then we won't stick to our part of the plan either."

Banzai tilted his head. "Oh, sis... What are you planning this time?"

"I'm just thinking about giving Scar a mild push towards taking matters into his own paws..."

With that, the hyena threw her head backwards and summoned the clan, including the hyenas in border duty. One by one, the hyenas started pouring in, unsure about leaving their guard posts, but Shenzi reassured them that it was okay, and that she wanted the clan gathered at Pride Rock.

Little by little the hyenas finally congregated near Shenzi. Only the hyenas escorting the lionesses had not returned yet; they stayed behind, even after hearing Shenzi's call, as per her previous orders.

The hunting lionesses, seeing that the escort had stayed put, didn't think much of Shenzi's calls, and carried on with their search for food.

Once the hyenas had settled down near Pride Rock, Shenzi told them, "The reason I called you all here is because we're officially on strike until Scar gets back in gear and makes sure that we get food, like he promised!"

The hyenas cheered so loud that Karanga could hear them all the way from the acacias. She wondered what the commotion was about, but seeing how the cubs just had settled down for a nap, she stayed put, but her ears flicked and shifted often, as she listened alertly to try and find out what was going on back at the cave.

Shenzi watched the clan for a moment as the hyenas curled up together for a nap, or just lay down to rest their paws. "It's a matter of time before Scar finds out that the guards have abandoned the borders. Let's go wait for him at the cave," Shenzi said, while Banzai and Ed followed her, looking more enthusiastic than before.

Asani and her group of followers sat close together, not sure about what Shenzi pretended to accomplish with this stunt, but all they could do for now was wait and see what Scar's reaction would be.

Not looking forward to a confrontation with the lion pride, they remained alert, in case they needed to make a hasty retreat.

* * *

><p>Scar was still patrolling his Kingdom, and as he sniffed the dried and broken ground, he was distracted from his task by sudden lightning. He raised his head and looked up at the sky, as the thunder sounded closer and louder.<p>

The rumbling noise kept startling Nuka, who had never experienced a storm like this in his life.

"Shouldn't we be heading back?" Nuka asked, sounding slightly scared.

"We're almost done, come on," Scar said, "You're not scared of rain, are you?"

Nuka shook his head, still glancing up at the sky uneasily. "But what's all that noise? And why's the sky so dark all of a sudden? Did we lose track of time? Is it night now?"

Scar shook his head. "The thunder and the dark clouds are an indication that a whole lot of rain is about to fall. Just what we had been waiting for, after all this time..." the lion added, with a small, dreamy smile.

"Hmm..." Nuka replied, not realizing how important this was for Scar and their Kingdom. The young lion simply sighed in relief when he finally detected a hyena mark, which meant they were done patrolling their area and were free to go home.

Nuka looked around, but tilted his head with curiosity. "How about the hyenas? Are they scared of rain?"

"Of course not, why would they be?" Scar replied, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Well, come take a look, they're all gone!"

Scar frowned and approached Nuka to survey the area. The young lion was right, there was no trace of the hyenas except for their scent marks. The borders were unguarded, and he knew that if the lionesses were to find out, they'd try to escape again for sure.

"That's very strange," Scar muttered, wondering if he might have missed their distress call, "Let's go back to Pride Rock, hurry!" Scar commanded, and Nuka followed him, happy to be heading home and looking forward to cuddling with the lionesses for a nap.

The King made his way back home as fast as he could, and was shocked to find the whole clan congregated around Pride Rock.

"What's the meaning of this? Why are you not on your guard posts?" Scar snarled at them.

"Shenzi wants a word with ya, she's waiting for ya at the cave," a hyena replied.

Scar swallowed for a moment, sensing a lot of tension coming from the hyenas.

"Nuka, go find your mother or one of the lionesses of the Pride and stay with them. I'll handle this."

Nuka nodded obediently and walked away in search for Zira, but finding no one near their usual resting spot, he headed off to the acacias, where he found Karanga, still keeping an eye on the cubs.

"Nuka, glad you're back," she said, "Do you know what's going on at Pride Rock?"

Nuka shook his head. "Nope, we just came back from patrolling. Seems like the hyenas have gathered together 'cause they want to speak to Father. No idea what about; he just sent me away and said he'd take care of things."

Karanga nodded, and the cubs shifted and groaned in their sleep as Nuka flopped beside them carelessly, ready to take a nap too.

The lioness looked around uneasily. She really wanted to go to Pride Rock and find out more, so she scanned the horizon intently, hoping to spot Zira and her pride-mates, but there was no sign of them, nor of the Pride-Landers. She had no choice but to stay with the cubs for now.

Back at Pride Rock, Scar made his way up to the cave, and found the hyenas taunting Zazu in his cage.

"You'd better have a good explanation for this," Scar told them, as the three hyenas jumped, startled, not having noticed his arrival. They turned around to face him.

"Ah, Scar, you're here. Good, we can finally get down to business," Shenzi said, flanked by Banzai and Ed.

Scar looked quite angry as he paced back and forth. "Get on with it," he snarled.

"It's your damn lionesses again. It's one thing not to go huntin' cause there's nothin' to hunt, and another thing is to sit on their rumps cause they can't be arsed to go hunting even when Mkosi's confirmed that there was a herd passing by! I don't need to remind you that it's their duty to hunt for us three too, right?"

"Will you just get to the point?" Scar said.

"My point is, we've tried dealing with the lionesses directly, and they didn't listen. They say they won't hunt until you take them to a place where they know there's prey for sure. So I've ordered the clan to stay here until you kick your own Pride's ass back in gear. The hyenas won't be going back to their guard posts until we've eaten, and that's final. How long those borders remain open is entirely up to you now, _pal_," Shenzi said, sounding more menacing than she had intended.

Scar bared his teeth at them, while they tried not to look intimidated. "How dare you? After I allowed you to stay in my Kingdom, you dare to threaten me, The King?"

"Oh, no, no. Don't go all royal on us, buddy!" Banzai snapped, "You know without us you'd never have become King in the first place. You owe us!"

Shenzi raised a paw at Banzai, as a sign to let her do the talking, and she went on, "You promised us food, and while I know that you can't do nothin' about this drought, you _can_ make your lionesses go in search of the antelope Mkosi spotted, and bring us the food that we're entitled to, according to the punishment you gave them! Now, _that _is something you can control, so we expect you to stop messing around tell them to go hunt. It's as simple as that."

Scar's pacing became more frantic as his anger increased. He wanted to slap this hyena so badly and take his anger out on her, but he managed to control himself just in time.

"Are you certain that Mkosi really saw a herd nearby?" he asked, gritting his teeth.

Shenzi shrugged."That's what he said. The Outlanders went in search for it the moment Mkosi told them, but the Pride-Landers said they don't wanna waste their energy chasin' imaginary prey. They ain't even makin' the effort!"

Scar tried to take a few deep breaths. He could feel he was losing his patience, but having the borders unguarded and giving the lionesses a chance to escape left him with no other option but to give in to the hyenas demands.

"Fine, I'll speak to them when they're back at Pride Rock. Let me know when they return. Now get out of my cave."

The hyenas left the cave looking satisfied, feeling they had the upper hand. They knew Scar would do whatever they told him just to restore the border patrol and prevent the lionesses from escaping. Shenzi asked the rest of the clan to notify them as soon as they saw the Pride-landers return to their lair, and they sat down to wait not far away from the cave.

* * *

><p>Not far away from Pride Rock, Simba was surveying what was left of his once great and imposing Kingdom. Nala, Timon and Pumbaa had managed to catch up with him and were now standing by his side, taking in the depressing landscape.<p>

In comparison to the bright and colorful foliage of the jungle, the Pride Lands looked even more like a wasteland than they did before. It brought tears to Nala's eyes, but she knew she had to be strong for now, so she wiped her eyes with a paw quickly and took a deep breath to try and calm herself down..

Simba turned to look at her and whispered,"What was your original plan, when you left this place to find help?"

Nala sighed. "The idea was to find someone who'd help us bring down the hyenas on border patrol and create a safe passage for the lionesses and the cubs. We'd then leave this land, and try to settle down some place where food is less scarce."

Simba nodded. "We will have to move somewhere else eventually, I'm afraid... But I need to settle things with Scar first. I can't believe he's allowed this to happen..." he added, as he looked around the Pride Lands once again, unrecognizable to him except for Pride Rock in the distance.

"We need to be careful when attacking the border; the hyenas can launch their distress call at anytime and we'll have the clan on top of us in a matter of seconds. We have to get them by surprise and make sure that they can't speak, somehow..." Nala said thoughtfully, wondering how to pull off such a feat.

"We'll have to go for the throat right away, but it's going to be hard not to miss," Simba mused, feeling rather nervous about this, since he was not such a good hunter himself. Although he was strong, he never really improved his hunting skills while looking for bugs in the jungle, and given Timon's aversion to Simba's meat-eating cravings, the lion had promised that he wouldn't actively hunt for prey. But Simba did enjoy eating animals that were already dead, mostly found after a round of _bowling-for-buzzards._

As the two lions brain-stormed together, Timon cleared his throat in an exaggerated fashion and said, "If you don't mind me interrupting, I don't see any hyenas keeping guard, at all. How about you?"

Nala narrowed her eyes as she scanned the borders of the Pride Lands, and realized that indeed, there was not one hyena in sight.

"Something's wrong... The borders are open! What if the Pride has escaped already? Or could it be that they persuaded Scar to move somewhere else?" she wondered out loud.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough. Come on, let's go," Simba told her, and gave her a small nuzzle as encouragement.

Nala smiled at him, and the four of them carefully sneaked towards Pride Rock, doing their best to remain unseen. For a moment they didn't see any sign of life around the area, but as they got closer, they heard some voices in the distance that made them freeze on their spot.

Nala pricked her ears and recognized the voices instantly. "It's the Pride, they're still around..." she whispered, while Simba did his best to crouch low and try to remain unseen.

"Shall we go to them?" Simba asked, but Nala shook her head.

"Chances are they have a hyena escort with them, we can't risk it. Just let them go by, and we will follow them instead."

Simba nodded, and they all waited in silence as the huntresses walked by, making their way back to Pride Rock.

* * *

><p>The hunting party had also quickly realized that there were no hyenas nearby, and were wondering about it.<p>

"Do you think they're still patrolling the border?" Huria whispered as she looked around with curiosity.

"Don't even think about escaping," one of the escorting hyenas interrupted her, "You know we can call the clan and they'll be here within seconds."

The lionesses had stopped walking for a moment, as they looked around, wondering if the hyenas might be taking shelter from the storm. It was eerily quiet, and it made them feel slightly uneasy.

"Get a move on," the hyena insisted, looking forward to going home.

The lionesses started to walk again, but Huria caught something out of the corner of her eye, and turned to look. She could have sworn she saw the tail of a warthog sticking up in the air for a moment. As she blinked a couple of times and stared at the spot where she had seen the movement, she sighed, disappointed.

"Hunger's playing tricks on me again," she thought, and was about to follow the rest of the lionesses, when out of the corner of her eye she saw movement again. She stopped on her tracks and turned to look again, more determined this time, but instead of a warthog's tail, she thought she saw what was clearly the tail of a lioness, standing up straight for a moment, flicking a few times and then hiding again.

Huria tried hard to identify who was hiding nearby, and just then, several pairs of eyes glinted back at her from within the tall, dead grass, as a bright bolt of lightning lit up the sky for a couple of seconds.

"Whomever it is, they're not alone..." she thought, becoming alarmed and sniffing the air and wondering what to do. The animals were downwind and she could not catch their scent easily.

Huria became startled when the lioness tail she thought she had seen earlier stuck up in the air again. The way it was shaking and swaying made her heart race faster and faster. Huria had just realized that this lioness knew the hunting code of the Pride Landers, and was telling her to rejoin the hunting party, and to remain alert.

Huria immediately understood what was going on; all Pride-Landers, but one, were accounted for. This lioness couldn't be anyone else but Nala, who had returned along with someone willing to help them escape. Huria tried to keep a straight face as she turned around quickly and joined the rest of the lionesses. She was dying to tell them, but with the hyena escort so close to them, she could not risk exposing Nala and her helpers. Instead, Huria remained quiet for now, glancing backwards every now and then.

The way to Pride Rock never seemed so long to Huria. It seemed like ages when they finally reached the monolith, and the hyena escort finally retreated to join the rest of the clan.

Huria watched them leave and was about to give the good news to the Pride, when Shenzi, Banzai and Ed padded resolutely up to them.

Huria swore out loud, startling her Pride-mates for a moment, but she had no time to explain, Shenzi was already within earshot so she had no other choice but to wait a bit longer.

"You," Shenzi said, addressing Sarabi, "Come with us."

Sarabi raised an eyebrow. "Where to?"

"We got some unfinished business, remember? So you, Scar and ourselves are going to have a little talk."

Sarabi let out an exasperated sigh. "I've said all I had to say on the hunting matter, I refuse to waste more time on that."

Shenzi rolled her eyes. "Yes, we heard you earlier, but now your King wants to... negotiate, " she replied, smirking slightly.

Sarabi looked around and spotted Scar on the promontory, looking thoughtfully into the horizon. "Tell him I'm not interested in negotiations. He already knows what we have to do in order to find food, now it's all up to him."

The three hyenas growled and walked away, in Scar's direction, while Sarabi padded away quickly in search of Karanga, to bring her the rats they hunted, before the hyenas would try to steal them again.

The rest of the Pride was suddenly distracted by another large group of hyenas nearby; they had been lounging lazily ever since the hunting party returned, but all of a sudden the hyenas had stormed off, as if they had spotted some prey nearby.

The lionesses hesitated for a moment, wondering if they should also go take a look, but Huria quickly called for their attention.

"Listen up, everyone, I am sure I just saw Nala in the Pride Lands! And she's not alone!" she whispered, not being able to hide her excitement.

Sarafina stared at her with eyes wide open, speechless for a moment.

"Are you totally sure it was her?" Shada asked hesitantly.

Huria nodded. "She knows our code. As far as I know, the Outlanders never learned it, right?"

The lionesses shook their heads and looked at each other. Sita whispered, "We have to warn her, she's in terrible danger, if Scar or his hyenas find out..."

As they whispered amongst themselves, wondering what to do, Nala was already approaching the Pride carefully and swiftly, taking advantage of the diversion that Timon and Pumbaa had just created, which resulted in several hyenas rushing away. She slowly joined the lionesses, while the drowsy hyenas that remained behind failed to notice that the hunting party had suddenly one extra lioness.

"Are you lot talking about me behind my back?" Nala whispered, startling the huntresses, who then gave her the widest smile they had seen on their faces in months.

Sarafina had a hard time trying to remain calm and not bring attention to herself. As tears of happiness rolled down her face, she wanted nothing more than to pounce on Nala and nuzzle her and hold her close.

Shada was also crying, as she had felt terribly guilty about involving Nala in their escape plan. She was so glad to see her and it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her back.

Nala could sense their excitement and gave them a quick, loving nuzzle, but carried on whispering, "We'll catch up later, I promise... We gotta focus for now. Um, where's Sarabi?"

"She left just a moment ago, to bring Karanga and the cubs some rats we managed to hunt earlier," Sarafina explained.

Nala sighed and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, I guess I'll just fill you all in for the time being. I was able to find someone to help us, but the plans have changed. We're not fleeing the Pride Lands anymore, not yet at least."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mahali asked.

"There will be a confrontation for the throne. With some luck, it will end peacefully, but if not, we'll need to be ready to help."

Huria frowned for a moment. "You mean someone's willing to stand up to Scar and fight for this barren land? Who in the world would do such a thing?"

Nala smiled warmly at her and said, "The true King of the Pride Lands."

The lionesses tilted their heads, visibly confused.

"Okay, I'm not following you anymore, sweetie," Anasa told her.

"Remember how Simba's body was never found?"

The lionesses nodded in unison.

"That's because there was no body to be found! Simba is alive, and he's been living in that jungle we heard about all this time!"

The lionesses' mouth fell open, as they looked at each other in surprise.

"But... Then why didn't he come back to claim the throne?" Huria pondered out loud.

"It's the same thing I've been wondering, but he's refused to tell me. Either way, that doesn't matter for now. What matters is that he's back, and he's willing to take what's rightfully his. His two best friends, a warthog and a meerkat, have come to help too. They are small but I wouldn't underestimate them. Oh, girls, of all the lions I could come across, to find the real heir to the throne... I still can't believe it," Nala said, unable to conceal a dreamy look as she spoke about her mate. She decided not to go into details about that, there would be plenty of time later.

"It is really amazing... Just wait until Sarabi hears about this, can you imagine what it'll mean to her? All these years, thinking she had lost her son..." Sarafina said, wiping a few tears off her eyes with a paw.

"I don't want to sound like I'm spoiling the party here, but even with Simba's help, he's just one lion. Do you think we really stand a chance against all the hyenas?" Tahlili said, looking worried.

Huria gave them a toothy grin, clearly excited about what was about to come. "If we lose, then we're doomed anyway. We might as well die trying, don't you think? Besides, the hyenas haven't had a decent meal in a while either, I am sure they're not at their best."

The lionesses nodded again, feeling nervous and excited.

"You were very lucky," Sarafina told Nala, nuzzling her at the same time, "Scar was furious when you left, and has allowed the hyenas to kill you if you ever tried to return. I have no idea what happened tonight, but the hyenas have abandoned the borders, allowing you and Simba to come in unharmed... The Kings of the Past must have been watching over you two."

Nala nodded silently, feeling very lucky indeed to be back home and being able to make a difference for the lionesses in her Pride.

"Where is Simba now?" Mahali asked with curiosity.

"We've split for now," Nala replied, "I was in charge of finding and warning you all, and he was going to look for Scar. So we have to be ready in case he needs our help. Have you found out in the meantime if we can count with Ndani's and Karanga's support, in case we need to stand up to Scar?"

The lionesses looked at each other, but it was Sarafina who broke the news to her. "Ndani is no longer with us, dear. She took her life not long ago. As for Karanga, you'd be surprised to hear that she already stood up to Scar, so I think that we can count on her all right."

Nala appeared to be quite shocked at these pieces of news. The lionesses remained alert, as they filled Nala in on the current situation in the Pride Lands, as well as the circumstances of Ndani's death.

* * *

><p>Karanga looked up as she heard someone approaching, and spotted Sarabi heading towards her. She had four rats in her muzzle, dangling by their tail.<p>

Sarabi dropped her meager catch at Karanga's side. "Here, for you..."

"Thank you so much," Karanga replied, looking visibly restless, "Listen, Sarabi, I have no idea what's going on back at Pride Rock, do you know anything?"

Sarabi sat down beside her for a moment. "The hyenas are throwing a tantrum of sorts, I believe. Don't pay much attention to them, I've already told them they're wasting their time."

The cubs woke up when they heard the two adult lionesses talking, and Sarabi pushed three of the rats they had hunted towards their direction. Nyota and Maua shared a rat, as well as Jasiri and Malaika, while Nuka nibbled on the third one all by himself. Karanga ate the fourth rat in almost one single bite, which somehow left her hungrier than she had felt before.

Vitani and Kovu started whining, demanding to be fed too.

"Zira asked me to watch them for a while," Karanga explained, "but they've been gone for a long time already. I wonder if they are okay..."

"I guess for now you can bring them to Pride Rock. Maybe Mahali can try and see if she can still nurse them..."

Karanga stood up and stretched herself. "Poor Mahali, having to nurse all these cubs... When this is all over she'll have no teats left."

Sarabi chuckled slightly as they made their way back to Pride Rock, followed by the frolicking cubs, who were now feeling a bit more energetic again after their long nap.

"You know," Sarabi said as they walked, "while we were hunting, those three nasty hyenas that follow Scar around came and dared to steal what we had already hunted! I was so upset, if it hadn't been for Shada I would have-"

But whatever she had been planning to do with the hyenas, Karanga never found out. Sarabi was interrupted by Scar screaming her name in the distance, sounding furious.

"I guess the hyenas don't take no for an answer..." Karanga muttered.

Sarabi shook her head and sighed. "I'll see what he wants and settle this once and for all. Mind if I walk ahead?"

"No, of course not, go ahead, I'll be right behind you."

Sarabi quickened her pace, while Karanga lagged behind, walking at the pace of the cubs.

"Sarabi!" came Scar's voice one more, roaring from atop of Pride Rock.

The lioness took a deep breath and made her way up towards Scar, while the hyenas, enjoying seeing a lioness in trouble, uttered insults and clicked her teeth at her in defiance.

Sarabi barely bothered glancing at them, as she was more focused on trying to stay calm and try to reason with Scar, once more, hoping to persuade him to search for a better place to live.


	25. A Bitter End

_Chapter 25_

**A Bitter End**

As Karanga followed the same path Sarabi had taken, the youngest cubs, feeling in a playful mood after their nap, kept running between her legs and trying to climb on her back.

"Ow, careful with those nails, you two," she scolded Kovu and Vitani, gently but firmly.

The cubs chuckled slightly and quickly apologized. They tried to go easier on Karanga's skin as they attempted to climb on top of her while she walked, but they kept failing miserably and ended up hanging by one of her hind legs instead. In their enthusiasm sometimes they would forget to be gentle, but a soft, deep rumble coming from Karanga's throat was enough to remind them to play nice.

Karanga smiled to herself as the cubs apologized again, and focused on the way ahead. She could see Sarabi and Scar talking on top of Pride Rock, and wondered whether Sarabi would be able to persuade him to leave. From the looks of it, Scar was still very upset, as he kept pacing back and forth in front of the lioness.

Karanga looked at them intently, trying to read their body language from afar, but all of a sudden Nuka quickened his pace and stood in front of her, blocking the way.

"Enough games, guys. Let's just go home to your mothers, all right?" she asked, with only the slightest hint of impatience in her voice.

But Nuka did not move, and stared towards Pride Rock with a shocked expression.

"What is it, Nuka?" Karanga said, turning rather serious, as she could suddenly smell Nuka's fear.

"There's another lion, I just saw him! He's sneaking towards Father!"

Karanga stared ahead, but she could not spot any intruders from this distance.

"Are you sure?"

"I... I dunno... I thought I saw something, there was lightning, and I saw a shadow on the wall... Okay, now I am not so sure," the young lion hesitated.

Karanga stared at Pride Rock intently, looking for intruders, but she gasped from shock when right at that moment she saw Scar hitting Sarabi so hard that he knocked her to the ground.

For a brief moment, Karanga was strongly reminded of Thembi, and it caused her immense pain to see that Scar was also unable to control his temper at times. She somehow expected better of him. But the worst of the shock came when, just as Nuka had seen, a strange lion jumped out from the shadows and headed towards the fallen Sarabi.

Karanga felt the blood rush through her head, and hushed the playful cubs with all the authority she could muster. The young lions could tell that she was no longer playing, and remained quiet.

As much as Karanga wanted to go help Sarabi, she was fully aware that the cubs were her responsibility at the moment. Rushing to Sarabi meant bringing the cubs to the rogue's attention, and they wouldn't stand a chance if he were to take over the Kingdom. As a sitter, Karanga's first priority was to bring the cubs to safety. She trusted that thanks to Scar's army of hyenas, the rogue lion wouldn't cause much harm, but still, she decided to hide the cubs, just in case.

"Listen to me, all of you, this is important. I will take you to a secret hideout. No one knows it's there, so you should be safe as long as you don't come out. You must promise me you will stay there, no matter what you see or hear. Is that clear?" she ordered them, while the younger lions nodded, not understanding why Karanga looked so upset all of a sudden.

"There's no time for games now, and I mean it," Karanga went on, "Nuka, pick up Kovu by the scruff of his neck and I'll take Vitani. The rest of you, follow me, and don't stop for anything! Hurry, now!"

Karanga headed off towards the hiding place she had in mind, as she heard several roars and growls in the distance. Karanga recognized the voices and she could tell that the rest of the Pride was now also at the scene, and felt relieved knowing they would tend to Sarabi, while Scar dealt with the rogue.

The hyenas were also uttering intimidating sounds that could be heard from far away, but as she looked over her shoulder, she could no longer see what was going on at Pride Rock.

They finally reached a hole on the ground that had been an animal's den at some point, but which had now been abandoned. The hole was covered with dead grass and leaves, that Karanga pushed aside with a paw, to reveal the entrance. The lioness sniffed around carefully and confirmed that there were no recent marks that would hint that someone was using this hole for shelter.

Karanga placed Vitani on the ground and told the older cubs, "Get in, quickly, and no matter what, you must stay inside, okay?"

"But why? What's going on?" Malaika asked, looking confused.

Karanga lowered her head at the cubs' level, and looked into their eyes. "There is a stranger in the Pride Lands, and he could hurt you quite badly if you're not careful. I hope you understand how important this is, you must not come out until one of us comes for you."

The young lionesses understood and nodded. One by one, they slid into the darkness of the shelter, whispering amongst themselves and feeling scared.

Karanga then passed them Vitani and Kovu. "You are now officially on cub-duty," she told the four of them, "It is a bit early for you to start, but there's no choice, I'm afraid. You will have to watch over them and make sure they don't get in trouble. Can you do that?"

The young lionesses smiled at each other and nodded, looking excited about finally getting to perform one of the official tasks within the Pride. It made them feel rather important.

Karanga stepped back and noticed Nuka still standing by her side, looking quite nervous.

"I know you think you're not a cub anymore," she told Nuka gravely, "but I'd still like to ask you to stay here. You're not of age yet and you're no match for a full-grown rogue. You'd be more useful here, keeping an eye on them."

Nuka looked at the shelter hesitantly. He felt quite scared, and with good reason. He knew his hunting and fighting skills were still far from decent. "But... he's my father, won't he be mad if I don't come and help?"

Karanga shook her head. "I am sure he's aware that you are still young and inexperienced to defend this land. Don't worry about him. Our pride and the hyenas will do our best to drive that rogue away. I think your own mother will appreciate it if you keep an eye on the two youngest cubs."

Nuka looked thoughtful for a moment and shook his head in the end. "The cubs will be safe here in this hole. I will go find mother. I am sure she'll want to know Father's in trouble."

Karanga nodded and gave Nuka a quick nuzzle. She then turned to the cubs and said, "Remember, we'll come back to pick you guys up as soon as it's safe. In the meantime, stay here and keep quiet!" The lioness then turned around, and ran as fast as she could, back to Pride Rock.

Nuka sighed deeply and hurried northwards, hoping Zira would already be making her way home and that he would find her soon.

* * *

><p>Karanga was running determined to go help Scar, when all of a sudden, a bolt of lightning hit the ground, really close to Pride Rock, causing the lioness to halt with a start. The rumbling sound that came right after made the ground shake under her paws, and she became more alarmed when she saw smoke rising upwards, signaling that the bolt had started a fire.<p>

Karanga looked at the direction of the wind and sighed in relief. If the fire spread, it would not be in the direction where the cubs were hiding, so she continued her way towards Pride Rock.

As she got closer, all of a sudden, the sound of roaring broke the silence of the night. Karanga could clearly hear the angry voices of her Pride-Mates, plus the loud growling and yelping from the hyenas.

"Wow... They must be tearing that rogue apart," Karanga thought, coughing every now and then from the pungent scent of the smoke building up in the area. At some point, she was even having difficulty to see where she was walking, causing Karanga to almost crash into a hyena, who looked terrified and appeared to be fleeing the scene.

Karanga watched her go, assuming the fire had scared her, but when two more hyenas sneaked past, limping and wounded, Karanga's heart started beating faster. She knew the hyenas had already taken down two rogues at the same time without a problem. Was this new lion that powerful? The lioness carried on, holding her breath to avoid breathing in the smoke that was now making her eyes water.

As she made her way up to the cave, Karanga was suddenly attacked by a group of three hyenas. Luckily for Karanga, while she was not expecting the hyenas to jump at her, she had kept her guard up all the time, in case she came face to face with the rogue. The lioness blocked the hyena's attacks effectively and looked at them startled.

"What in the world are you doing? I'm Scar's mother, why would you jump at me?" she growled, assuming that they might have mistaken her in the midst of the smoke and confusion. She could not understand why the hyenas were still growling at her and baring their teeth.

The hyenas tried to attack her once more, but Karanga was a much better fighter than they had expected. The lioness was fast and strong; she dodged the hyena's bites while landing a couple of powerful blows with her paws. It was not long before the three hyenas fled, whimpering and bleeding.

Karanga stood there for a short moment, panting and looking confused. She then shook her head and tried to make her way up to Pride Rock, when she heard two hyenas nearby in a heated discussion. It was Shenzi and Asani, who were glaring at each other with bared fangs.

"What are you waiting for? Why aren't you fighting?" Shenzi snarled.

Asani gave her a nasty chuckle. "Let me think, what could be the reason? Maybe the fact that I warned you I wouldn't risk my neck for this lion of yours? Or the fact that you lied to everyone, saying that the cub had been taken care of? Or perhaps it was what you did to Mashavu, which kinda tipped the scale, certainly not in your favor? Nope, Shenzi. We ain't doin' your bidding no more. This is where we bail out."

Shenzi laughed, not looking amused at all. "You and how many other losers?"

Asani gave her a triumphant smile, and she summoned her followers towards her.

Shenzi looked around in shock as several hyenas abandoned the fight and congregated around Asani. More than half the clan was willing to stand by her rival.

Shenzi snarled at them. "Buncha traitors, all of ya!"

The hyenas didn't say anything, but Asani stepped forward and muttered, "If anyone here's a traitor, it's you. Now go back to your lion; I bet he's wondering why you're not helping him and trying to make up for your little mistake..."

Shenzi cursed at Asani. "This ain't over. I bet we'll meet again, and you'll be very sorry that you crossed me!" The angry hyena turned around and ran off to join her siblings and the rest of the clan who had stayed behind, still fighting fiercely.

Asani then ordered her followers to go back to the elephant graveyard. "Let's regroup there, and we'll hold a short clan meeting to see what to do next, okay?" she told them, and the hyenas retreated hastily.

As Asani ran past Karanga, the lioness asked, "Asani, wait! What's going on?"

Asani stopped in her tracks and turned to look at her, startled. She could tell by the fact that Karanga was not showing any sign of anger or aggression towards her, that the lioness had not witnessed what had happened at the top of Pride Rock.

"Let's put it this way... Your son's messed up big time," Asani replied, "and the lionesses ain't happy with him."

Karanga raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Aren't they helping Scar to fight off that rogue? Have they launched an attack against you and Scar instead?"

Asani simply nodded, not going into details as to why the lionesses had turned against them.

Karanga watched the retreating hyenas and understood that the clan had finally split, and only Shenzi's followers were willing to stay behind and help Scar in defending the kingdom against the Pride-Landers and the rogue.

The lioness couldn't help but snarl slightly at Asani. "Scar invited you in, and now you cowardly run away from your new territory, at the first sign of trouble?"

Asani shook her head. "This has nothing to do with cowardice. We just know that we've outstayed our welcome, and it's time to go. I know a losing battle when I see one."

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay and chitchat, my son needs my help," Karanga said, still looking angry. As she walked away, she heard Asani mutter, "I'd take your Pride's side, if I were you."

"What did you say?" Karanga said, glancing over her shoulder towards Asani.

"Trust me on this one. Scar doesn't deserve your loyalty," Asani told her, "Go help your pride-mates instead, and they will fill you in on what really happened."

Karanga was desperate to know more, but Asani ran off in the direction of the elephant graveyard, not looking back.

When Karanga finally made her way up Pride Rock, she saw every lioness of her Pride engaged in a fight, but there was no sign of Scar. She noticed Tahlili was having problems defending herself against five hyenas that had ganged up on her, so Karanga went to her aid. In no time the two lionesses sent all five hyenas fleeing and running for their lives.

"Looks like Sita needs some help too, come on!" Tahlili said, and as both lionesses fought and slashed at the angry hyenas, Karanga asked, "Why are we fighting the hyenas anyway? Why aren't we fighting off the rogue lion? Has the Pride given up on the cubs and decided they want a take-over instead?"

Tahlili looked at her mother for an instant, not sure how to break the news to her.

"That's not just any rogue, mom," the lioness explained between snarls and bites, "It's Simba, who's come back to reclaim his throne. Nala found him in the jungle, and brought him back here."

Karanga stared at Tahlili in shock as the news sank in, just long enough to give a hyena time to jump at her and try to go for her throat. Tahlili and Sita were already fighting off two hyenas at the time, so she was on her own for now. Karanga slashed with her paws with all her might, while the hyena bit her hard on her shoulder.

Karanga let out a loud roar of pain, and at that point she heard a very loud yelp, and felt the weight of the now unconscious hyena sliding off down her side. Karanga looked up only to see Huria smiling at her, licking a bloodied paw nonchalantly, her eyes glowing with the reflection of the fire nearby.

Karanga had to admit that Huria's feisty temperament was a great asset when it came to defending and protecting the Pride. It even seemed as if the lioness was actually enjoying herself.

The two lionesses had barely exchanged a word ever since Huria had confronted Karanga that night by the cave, concerning her decisions about staying with Thembi and hiding to protect her daughters when Mufasa took over the throne. Karanga couldn't help but smile when Huria looked down at her and whispered, "I'm very sorry about what I said that day... Truce?"

Karanga nodded silently, while Huria helped her up. Huria was not someone who'd easily apologize about something, so it meant a lot to Karanga to hear her say those words.

"You okay there?" Huria asked, examining the hyena bite on Karanga's shoulder.

Karanga took a few steps, feeling some pain in her shoulder as she walked, but nothing serious. "I'll be fine, let's go help the others..."

At that point, Sarafina roared loudly, asking for help. The two lionesses hurried to assist her, as Huria, in her usual blunt way, tried to fill Karanga in.

"Did you hear what happened already?" Huria said as she fiercely mauled a hyena that had jumped at Sarafina.

"Just that the lion I thought was a rogue, is actually Simba... I don't get it, do you?"

"Nope, turns out he had been alive all this time... Why he didn't come back then it's still a mystery to us all. But that's not all. Brace yourself, cause what you're about to hear isn't pretty."

Sarafina stood up after the hyenas that attacked her finally fled. She looked tired and out of breath, but otherwise unharmed, except for some small bites and scratches. "Huria, do you think this is the right moment to tell _her_, of all lionesses?" she asked.

Karanga looked at Sarafina. "Now's as good as ever, girls. I need to know what's going on and what I am supposed to be fighting for, please..."

Sarafina looked around for a moment, making sure there were no hyenas nearby ready to attack, but noticed another lioness in trouble. "Huria, looks like Anasa could use some help."

Without saying another word, Huria ran in Anasa's direction, leaving Sarafina to break the news to Karanga.

Karanga in the meantime took a quick look at the scene of the fight. It seems someone had managed to set Zazu free in the meantime, because he was flying around and pecking hard on top of several hyenas' heads with his beak. A warthog and a meerkat seemed to be helping them too, and even old, peaceful Rafiki had joined the fight against Scar, which puzzled the lioness even more.

"Listen, Karanga, what I'm about to say is very serious. This is not a rumor, or something the Pride started to incite trouble. We heard it from Scar himself."

Karanga blinked at her, expectantly.

"Scar killed Mufasa," Sarafina said, as her voice broke slightly.

Karanga just sat there, barely moving a muscle on her face. "He did what?"

"Scar killed Mufasa. We guess he tried to kill Simba too, to get to the throne. We don't know exactly what happened, but Scar's own confession was that he had killed his own brother. The hyenas tried to go for Simba's neck at that point, but Nala and Sarabi jumped in to defend him. That's how this whole mess started..."

Karanga didn't know what to say for a moment. She felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed to her head. She was dizzy and felt so sick to her stomach that she couldn't stop herself from throwing up.

Sarafina kept guard, making sure that no hyenas would try to take advantage of Karanga's moment of shock. It was until then that she noticed that the number of hyenas still fighting had diminished considerably. "That's weird... Where are all the hyenas?"

"Half of them have deserted Shenzi and left with Asani," Karanga explained, once she had recovered, "This is all that's left of her clan..."

Sarafina looked rather hopeful. "Looks like we might stand a chance, then! Come on, Karanga... I know it's a tough moment for you, but the Pride needs our help!"

Sarafina ran off to help her best friend Mahali, but Karanga had a hard time mustering the energy to get up. She felt as if she couldn't care less if a hundred hyenas were to jump at her at this point. She only came out of her shock when she saw the Trouble-Makers heading straight for Shada. Karanga tried to focus on the battle again, and gathered all her strength to get up, heading towards her daughter in case she needed any help.

Shada had just shaken a hyena off her back when she noticed the Trouble-Makers approaching, led by Usiku, their new leader.

The lioness looked at them sadly. "It doesn't have to be this way, you know," she told them, not looking forward to cause them any harm.

"You're no friend of ours anymore, traitor," Usiku growled.

"Me? Traitor? I guess that makes us two, then. It surprises me though, how come these guys are all still sticking with you, after you were the one who ratted Mashavu out in the first place," Shada replied, as she slowly prepared herself to fight these young hyenas, with pain in her heart.

"What did you say?" one of the hyenas replied, as the Trouble-Makers looked at each other in confusion.

"Shenzi and Usiku had told us that _you _ratted us all out," Batu told Shada, while the rest of the hyenas nodded in unison, except Usiku, who was now looking around nervously.

Shada frowned. "No way, why would I do that? I knew I'd get her in trouble if I admitted to learning the call from her, that's why I kept quiet! No, I actually heard from Asani herself that your new leader here had struck some sort of deal with Shenzi, which ended up in Mashavu's death."

The Trouble-Makers looked even more confused. Shada could tell they had clearly been fed a different story. The lioness turned to Usiku and bared her teeth.

"Care to share with us what your little arrangement with Shenzi was? You ratted Mashavu out, tried to place the blame on me, got your former friend wounded to death, all so you could lead this gang?"

"Don't listen to her," Usiku ordered the hyenas, "Attack her!"

But the Trouble-Makers stayed put. They could sense the uneasiness coming from Usiku, and her sudden nervous demeanor gave her lies away. They clearly didn't respect Usiku the way they respected Mashavu, and the inexperienced leader could see her authority crumbling to the ground.

"I outrank you! You gotta do what I say! Get her!" Usiku yelled, looking slightly afraid for the first time.

The Trouble-Makers shook their heads and started closing in on Usiku. "You lied to us... You got Mashavu punished and killed..."

Usiku backed off while cursing at them, and fled quickly, knowing there was no way she could win a battle against all of them and Shada.

The angry Trouble-Makers followed Usiku in hot pursuit, but Batu lingered for a moment, as he turned to Shada and whispered, "I guess we won't see each other ever again, huh?"

Shada shrugged. "Who knows? I will certainly keep my eyes open for you guys," she said, feeling quite relieved about not having to hurt them.

Batu gave her a little smile, and ran off to catch up with his gang-mates, to teach Usiku a lesson.

Shada sighed deeply and looked around, there were only a few hyenas left, it was only a matter of time until they admitted defeat. It was until then when she noticed her mother standing nearby, staring at nothing in particular. From Karanga's dazed look, Shada could gather that the lioness had heard what happened, and was not taking the news very well.

"Mom... Are you okay?" Shada asked, as she nuzzled Karanga gently, licking away some specks of dust and blood from her face.

Karanga turned to her and whispered, "Scar's confession... Did you hear it too?"

Shada nodded and looked away. "I'm sorry, mom, I can't even begin to imagine how you feel right now, but we must keep our guard up, the battle's not over. Simba still needs our help... Will you help us? Please?"

Karanga took a deep breath and nodded. The Pride needed her to be strong, if only for just a bit longer.

The last few hyenas finally gave up and ran away from Pride Rock, while the lionesses regrouped, assessing their wounds and checking that everyone was all right.

"Where are the cubs?" Mahali asked Karanga.

"They're safely hidden. I took them to an abandoned lair right next to the Three Rocks, as soon as I saw a strange lion coming into our territory."

Shada smiled. "Just like you did with us when we were little?" she asked. She had been too young to remember in detail the lengths Karanga had gone just to protect her and her sister, and had been quite impressed by the story when Huria brought it up.

Karanga gave her a sad, little smile and nodded.

The lionesses looked up startled, as their conversation was interrupted by the powerful roars of two male lions fighting to death for this land, at the very top of Pride Rock.

"There's no room for all of us up there to go and help Simba," Sarafina pondered out loud.

"I'll go," Sarabi said resolutely.

"Me too," Nala added, "Come on, Sarabi, let's hurry!"

"Wait!" Huria told them, "Listen..."

The lionesses pricked up their ears, but they could not pick up any sounds coming from above any more.

"Could it be that the fight is over?" Sarabi wondered, as she looked up expectantly.

The lionesses waited for a moment, and they sighed in relief when they saw Simba's face peeking down and yelling at them, "I'm okay!"

Karanga swallowed hard, wondering whether Scar had just ran away, or whether Simba had administered a fatal bite or blow.

As the lionesses waited for Simba to come down, they heard a huge commotion on the opposite side of Pride Rock. Several hyena growls and whoops were heard, and Scar's roaring in pain followed the hyenas' angry cries.

The lionesses remained very still, unsure of what was going on. But judging from Scar's pleading screams, roaring in pain and begging for mercy, the hyenas had finally turned against him.

"Oh, no..." Karanga exclaimed, and she stood up with the intention to look for Scar, but Huria blocked her path.

"The alliance is over, Karanga, you can't go there. If they've attacked Scar himself, they will surely attack you too," Huria told her, while the other lionesses agreed.

But Karanga ignored her Pride-Mates and pushed Huria aside gently. "Then so be it, but I need to see him, please don't deny this to me."

Huria hesitated for a moment, but looking into Karanga's pained and worried expression, she finally stepped aside and sighed deeply. "Fine... Just watch out for the fire, it's still blazing back there... Roar if you need us to go there."

Karanga nodded and ran in the direction of Scar's screams, disappearing from their view quickly.

The rest of the lionesses stayed behind, while tending to their wounds. They greeted Simba with enthusiasm, once he came down from the summit.

Zazu, Timon and Pumbaa also lingered nearby, watching the content Pride with satisfied smiles.

The young lion head-butted the lionesses in return, but he kept glancing nervously towards the back of Pride Rock, as he could still hear Scar, weakly begging for mercy, as well as the hyenas, howling in their feeding frenzy.

For a moment, he considered going there and at least scare the hyenas away, but Sarabi, who appeared to be reading his thoughts, approached him and nuzzled him gently. "It's too late for him, son. It will be over soon... Karanga's already gone to tend to him."

Simba let out a deep sigh. He felt perturbed at his uncle's gruesome end, but on the other hand, Simba was quite glad that Scar's blood was not on his paws.

Sensing Simba's distress, Rafiki approached him and gave him a reassuring nod and smiled.

"You did what you had to do, Simba. Scar brought the rest upon himself. You don't have to feel guilty."

Simba looked thoughtful for a moment, but then nodded in agreement in the end. He had believed to be guilty of murder all this time, but suddenly that burden had been lifted off his shoulders, making him feel quite relieved. Now he just needed to come to terms with the fact that he was now the King and leader of the Pride, a title for which he felt totally unprepared.

It was then when the howling of the hyenas stopped, and then silence reigned once more over the Pride Lands.

* * *

><p>Karanga hurried towards the sound of the hyenas' voices, and as she got closer, she heard them say, "Hey, Shenzi, the flames are getting way too close. We won't be able to get away if we stay here much longer."<p>

"Let's take him with us then!" cried another hyena in the distance.

"We got no time! My tail's burned already, dammit!"

"He's learned his lesson all right, he won't be messin' with us hyenas again," Karanga heard Shenzi say, "Banzai's right, we gotta go now. Everyone, we'll gather round by the waterhole near the northern border. We'll then move on to find another place to stay. Hurry now!"

Karanga heard the hyenas retreating, some of them actually ran past her without as much as a glance, and then there was silence. The lioness took a deep breath and dived into the curtain of fire and smoke, trying to locate Scar. The heat was becoming unbearable, even with the rain falling down as hard as it was.

"Scar?" she called as loud as she could, "Scar, where are you?"

Karanga heard a soft moan not far from where she was standing. "Scar? Is that you?"

Karanga heard the sound again, as if someone was trying to speak. She quickly headed in the direction of the sound, and managed to spot Scar lying down on the ground. The lioness didn't think twice and without wasting any time, she bit softly on the mane of his neck and dragged Scar's body away from the heat of the flames.

The lioness found a safe spot, where the rain had already turned the burning grass into soggy, wet ashes, and released her grip on Scar's mane. She looked at him and it was until then that Karanga realized the extent of Scar's injuries. The hyenas had not gone easy on him, and it was obvious that Scar didn't have long to live. He had kept his eyes closed all this time, and Karanga wondered if he was aware of what was going on at all.

Karanga couldn't hold her tears any longer and started to cry, like she hadn't cried in a very long time. "Why? Why did it have to be this way?" she yelled at no one in particular.

Scar eventually opened his eyes when he heard someone speaking, and seemed surprised to see Karanga standing by his side. "The hyenas..." he managed to utter, looking afraid all of a sudden.

Karanga felt so angry at Scar, and was longing for an explanation, but seeing her adoptive son in that terrible, pitiful state, unable to speak and so close to dying, was more than she could handle right now. Her anger gave way to deep sadness, and just as she did with Thembi's last moments, she simply tried to focus on making Scar's last minutes as comfortable as possible.

"They're gone, my dear, don't worry about them. Rest now, I'll keep guard over you," she told him.

There was no use in trying to nurse Scar's wounds, so Karanga simply lay by his side, whispering comforting words, and trying to give him some of her warmth, until the end would come.

* * *

><p>The Outlanders were making their way back to Pride Rock with high spirits. They had managed to hunt two antelopes, a small one, which they devoured on the spot, and larger one, to bring back home to eat along with Scar.<p>

As they took turns dragging the antelope along the way, the lionesses chatted animatedly as they felt a few drops of water falling on their pelt.

"I bet Scar will be in a great mood... Looks like the rain's finally here, and we caught a decent meal for a change," Kahawia said.

Njano chuckled. "You know, I think when the land recovers and the herds return, I dunno... Maybe I'll have a go too at the whole cub-making thing."

"Really? Great! I am sure Jasiri and Malaika would love more playmates to run around with," Kahawia replied, smiling warmly.

Zira stopped walking for a moment. She placed the antelope she was carrying in her muzzle on the ground, and she fixed her gaze on something in the distance. "Hey... Is that Nuka, running around?" she asked.

The other two turned to look at the direction Zira was staring, and nodded. "Looks like it... Say, wasn't he with Scar?"

"Yes, he was. Even if Scar's back already, I am sure the Pride-Landers wouldn't have let Nuka wander this far on his own," Zira replied, as she let out a loud roar, to alert Nuka of their location.

Nuka heard his mother's call, and ran as fast as he could in her direction. "Mother! Mother!" he yelled in return to Zira's roars. He finally reached them, panting heavily while trying to catch his breath.

"What are you doing here on your own? This area is way off your boundaries. Explain yourself," Zira told the exhausted lion.

"It's Father," Nuka said between gasps, "There's a rogue... In the Pride-Lands... Cubs are hidden... Came here to alert you..."

The three lionesses appeared quite shocked, especially Zira. "What? Are you completely sure, Nuka?"

"Yes, Karanga and I saw him with our own eyes! We went to hide all the cubs first, then she went back to help Scar, and I went looking for you..."

Zira nodded and turned to her Pride-mates. "I'm going to run ahead in case he needs help. You two can drag the antelope back to the den."

Kahawia and Njano nodded, and Zira ran towards Pride Rock, as fast as she could. Nuka followed her, but he was already tired from running around trying to find her, so he could not keep up with his mother and lagged behind slightly.

As Zira got closer, the smell of smoke and burned foliage reached her nostrils, and from what she could gather, there was quite a fire raging in the area near Pride Rock. Here and there she picked up a bloody trail on the ground, made by a wounded hyena attempting to escape. As she got near Pride Rock, she came across several motionless bodies of more unfortunate hyenas that had not been able to make it to safety on time.

The sight shocked Zira for a moment. She expected a rogue to be able to injure a few of them, but to kill this many... Something didn't add up. The lioness stood next to a dead male hyena, and studied his wounds carefully. Zira could tell they were made by a leonine paw, but from the scent marks left on him, Zira could also deduce that at least three different lionesses from Scar's pride had attacked this hyena. There were no scents or signs indicating that he had been hurt by a stranger.

Zira growled deeply. Her first assumption was that the lionesses had finally rebelled against Scar, and took advantage of the rogue's invasion to try and escape, while Scar was distracted, defending his throne.

The occasional drop of water that she had felt earlier finally gave way to the long awaited rain, and in just a few seconds, water started pouring all around her.

Zira shook herself and hurried towards Pride Rock, but it took her a while to find the right way home. Her sense of smell, as well as her vision, were heavily impaired by the smoke. Since she couldn't see clearly where she was going, she kept tripping over twigs and rocks, which slowed her down considerably. The lioness concentrated on the ground as she muttered to herself, "Hang on, my beloved, together we'll show that rogue who's boss around here, and then we'll finally dine like the King and Queen that we are."

It was actually her sense of hearing that eventually led her home. The angry roars and battle cries in the distance were not easy to miss, so she hurried in the direction of the sounds she had picked up. Finally, the heavy rainfall managed to subdue the fire and she was able to see Pride Rock in the distance. But what she saw, chilled her to the bone. There was a stranger, a brawny male lion standing on top of the promontory. Just then, he let a loud, victorious roar, echoed by the lionesses of what was once Scar's Pride.

"No... This can't be happening..." she thought, as a sense of despair overwhelmed her, "I don't care about this territory, just let him be alive, please..." she pleaded to the Kings of the Past as she hurried to the place she had finally dared called home, only to see it all crumbling down before her eyes.

Zira's legs were trembling, a feeling she hadn't experienced ever since that rogue killed her mother and chased her and Kahawia away from the Pride.

The lioness reached the rock; the absence of the hyenas made the area look quite silent and deserted. She could clearly hear the lionesses and the male lion talking, somewhere near the cave. She took a deep breath, and resolutely climbed up towards them.

Zira heard the male lion saying, "Let's see, don't hold it against me if I got the names wrong, please... You're... Sita, Anasa... No wait, _you _are Anasa and you're Huria..."

Simba went on, recalling his former Pride-Mates. He had some trouble recognizing the youngest lionesses; Mahali, Tahlili and Shada had grown a lot since the last time he saw them.

The Pride-Landers laughed, and the younger lionesses re-introduced themselves, but they hushed considerably when they saw Zira approaching. They hadn't thought yet about how to break the news to the Outlanders, who had been quite fond of Scar.

Zira held her head up high, and just as she had done with countless rogues before, she showed Simba no fear.

"What's going on here? Where's the King? And where are my cubs?" Zira asked, not looking away when Simba turned to face her and walked in her direction.

"I'm very sorry, I don't think I remember you. What's your name?" he said, looking intently at her.

"I'm Zira, Scar's mate and Queen," she replied, snarling slightly, wondering why this rogue would think that they had already met sometime in the past.

"You don't know her," Nala whispered in Simba's ear at that point, who was trying hard to remember anyone by the name Zira, "She's an Outlander that Scar invited into the Pride, after Ndani, his previous Queen, passed away."

"Nala? You're back?" Zira said, looking surprised when she saw the lioness standing by Simba's side, "Do you know this rogue?"

Nala nodded. "Look, Zira... You've heard about Simba, right?"

Zira thought for a moment. "Wasn't that Scar's nephew? The one who died at the stampede?"

"I didn't die at the stampede," Simba interrupted her, "Maybe that was Scar's intention, but my father rescued me on time."

All the lionesses looked at Simba, curious as to what exactly had happened that day that led to Mufasa's death and his disappearance.

"What are you talking about? _You _are actually Simba? But... If you were not dead, where have you been all this time, then?" Zira asked him, sounding slightly shocked and confused.

At that moment, Karanga rejoined them, but the lionesses didn't notice, as all eyes were fixed on Simba.

The lion knew he owed them an explanation, so he took a deep breath and decided to finally deal with the memory he had tried so hard to repress.

"I am not sure myself how it happened," he said, "Scar took me to the gorge, and told me to wait there because my father had a surprise for me. So I did, and got distracted while scaring a lizard. Next thing I know, there were wildebeest all over. Father managed to bring me to safety, and tried to climb the walls of the gorge to get out. He was doing quite well, but all of a sudden, I heard him scream, and when I turned to look, father had fallen back to the gorge and into the stampede. Judging from what Scar said up there by the promontory, when I was hanging from the edge -you all heard him- my father must have been dangling from the edge of the gorge in the same way, and Scar threw him down, just like he wanted to throw me. "

The lionesses muttered angrily to each other, while Sarabi said through clenched teeth, "He told us you got yourself into trouble with the wildebeest while playing hide-and-seek, that bastard, if I had known..."

"But why did you run away? Why did you think it was your fault Mufasa died?" Nala asked.

Simba hesitated for a moment. "It's difficult to explain... The way things happened, it seemed as if I had caused the stampede, because I was practicing my roaring with that lizard. I thought I had scared the wildebeest or something... I was so ashamed of what I had done, and so afraid about what you would all think, that I took Scar's advice and just ran for it. I didn't know where to go, but at that point some hyenas started chasing me and in my haste to escape, I ended up fleeing towards the desert. Timon and Pumbaa found me; I would have died if it hadn't been for them. They took me in, and I've been with them ever since."

"Scar's advice? What in the world? Did he actually tell you to run away?" Tahlili asked with wide eyes.

"Psh, given his alliance with the hyenas, I wouldn't be surprised if he actually sicced them on you after you survived that stampede..." Huria added, cursing at no one in particular.

"Zira," Karanga said all of a sudden, interrupting this painful and incriminating conversation that had brought yet more sorrow into her heart, "You need to come with me..."

Zira looked at Karanga, whose right flank was completely drenched in Scar's blood.

"He's running out of time, please hurry... He's calling your name..." Karanga insisted, and Zira followed her without question, fearing that Scar might be seriously injured.

Simba watched the two lionesses leave, and muttered, "Was that... Karanga? Scar's mother?"

Nala nodded. "Those two adored Scar, so I'm afraid your take-over will be quite tough on them."

Simba took a deep breath and turned to his lionesses, who were still discussing amongst themselves, trying to understand what happened that terrible day when Mufasa died. "That lioness, Zira... She... mentioned some cubs... Have you hidden them from me?" Simba asked them, hesitantly.

The lionesses tensed up considerably and were at a loss of words for a moment.

"Er... My mother did," Shada replied, "she had no idea it was you fighting Scar."

"Please don't hurt them, we've gone through hell and back trying to keep them alive through the drought," Anasa and Mahali pleaded.

Simba looked at them and gave them a reassuring nuzzle. "I know what you're thinking, but it was never my intention to hurt them. Those innocent cubs are already part of the family. All this time I thought I had been responsible for the death of a family member, so I am not going to allow for that statement become true now. I promise you, your cubs are safe."

The lionesses sighed in relief and thanked Simba with tears in their eyes.

"I think it's safe to bring them home now," Mahali said, "Karanga said they were hidden by the Three Rocks. Finnie, wanna come with me to pick them up?"

Sarafina looked at her a bit startled, but nodded in the end. "Sure, let's go..."

Once the two lionesses climbed down Pride Rock, Mahali turned to Sarafina and whispered, "I know that Scar meant something to you at some point... Perhaps he still does. Do you want to go give him the last good-bye? I won't tell anyone, I'll go pick up the cubs myself."

Sarafina looked at her best friend as tears started to form in her eyes. She smiled and said with a slightly choked-up voice, "That's very thoughtful of you, but I actually don't want to see him. Whatever it was that I felt for him at some point vanished a long time ago, and I just can't get over the fact that he threatened to kill Nala, and actually killed Mufasa, whom I loved dearly. No, let's just go and pick up the cubs together. Zira is with him anyway, and I am sure he wouldn't want any other lioness by his side at this point."

Mahali nodded, and both lionesses headed towards the Three Rocks, discussing the recent events, and wondering what the future would bring, now that Simba had assumed the throne.

* * *

><p>Scar had kept an eye on the fierce battle taking place at Pride Rock, hidden in a safe spot, looking angry and worried. Finding out that Simba had been alive all this time came as a big shock, and the lion was quite disappointed in the hyenas. If they had told him the truth, they could have hunted Simba down and deal with him while he was still a weak, defenseless cub. But now, matters had complicated a lot more, and seeing the lionesses were putting up a good fight against the clan, Scar feared the worst: he would have to battle his nephew himself to keep the throne.<p>

When Simba eventually cornered him at the very top of Pride Rock, Scar was trying to do some quick thinking. He was rambling about everything and nothing while trying to appeal to Simba's better nature, stressing their family ties, even placing the blame on the hyenas, all to try to buy himself more time just to come with a plan.

Simba had given him the chance to actually run away unscathed, and Scar contemplated the possibility only for a split second. But again, he knew running away would be admitting his defeat. His anger and frustration at the turn of events fueled his courage, and Scar decided to give it one last try and defend his position as King of the Pride Lands. He started a fight with Simba when he saw the young lion had lowered his guard, and as he fought, Scar secretly hoped that the hyenas or Zira would come to help him finish Simba off. But neither the hyenas nor his Queen came to his aid, so it was up to him to finish the job, for a change.

While Scar had initially been afraid about confronting any other lion physically, Zira's fighting lessons had actually paid off, and Scar was giving Simba a run for his money. Simba was strong and well fed, but his fighting skills were not up to par, and Scar had the upper hand during the fight most of the time. Scar's biggest mistake was that he didn't take into account the small area they were fighting on. He realized this too late, after leaping on top of Simba while going for his neck, and giving Simba the opportunity to flip him over the edge of Pride Rock's summit.

Scar braced himself for impact and groaned as he hit some of the sharp rocks on the way down. As he finally hit the ground, he took a deep breath and looked around a bit dazed, trying to get his bearings. He felt surprised that he had survived that fall with no serious injuries; He was in quite a lot of pain, and his head was spinning slightly, but he could move all his limbs without much difficulty.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have pounced..." he thought, as he mustered his remaining strength to sit up straight.

Scar felt alarmed when he heard someone approaching. He figured it was Simba and the lionesses, who had come to finish him off.

"Ah, my friends," the lion sighed in relief, seeing that it was only Shenzi and her siblings.

"Frie-he-hends?" Shenzi chuckled, "I thought he said _we_ were the enemy!"

Scar gasped; he had no idea that the hyenas had been listening in when he was making all sorts of excuses to Simba, while trying to think of a plan. He felt quite uneasy when more hyenas emerged out of the shadows, and from behind the curtain of smoke and flames. They were surrounding him from all sides. Scar knew the hyena body language very well, and he could clearly see and smell the aggressive mood, even through the heavy smoke.

Ironically, it was Ed who pronounced Scar's death sentence, by confirming through his usual bouts of laughter that Scar had indeed tried to place the blame on the hyenas, to try and save himself.

"No, let me explain," Scar stammered, but the hyenas began closing in on him.

"No! You don't understand!" he screamed, "I didn't mean it!"

Shenzi rolled her eyes and with a simple wave of her paw, the remaining hyenas of her clan pounced on Scar, immobilizing him to the ground.

"No!" he screamed loudly as he tried to shake the hyenas off, but he was heavily outnumbered, and they easily over-powered him. There was no escape, and he knew it.

Shenzi approached Scar and looked down at him. The lion stared up at her, visibly terrified. "Shenzi, you know I didn't mean that, don't let them hurt me, I'm... I'm your friend! Besides... You... You let Simba live, and you didn't tell me! You owe me!"

"Oh, save it," Shenzi snapped, "We didn't know the cub had survived either, okay? We had sent him fleeing right into the desert. What were the odds of him making it outta there alive?"

"Shenzi... Please..." Scar begged once more. He had seen how the hyenas tore the rogues Haji and Kwanza apart while they were still alive, and those images came popping back in his mind right now. Scar was trembling from the fear of having the same fate as them.

Shenzi sat next to him and sighed deeply. "Half my clan has deserted me, and you know why?" she asked.

Scar simply blinked back at her.

"They said I didn't listen to them, and I paid more attention to what _you _wanted. Now that I think about it, they might have been right. Well, it's about time I start listening to what my clan wants. Look at them, Scar. Can you also tell what they want?" she taunted.

The hyenas started growling. "Less chattin', more eatin'!" one of them said, drooling hungrily over Scar's matted pelt.

Shenzi nodded at her fellow hyenas, and stepped aside.

The pain Scar felt as the hyenas started tearing into his flesh with their razor-sharp teeth was indescribable. He had always abhorred their hunting methods, now more than ever. He wished for someone to choke him so that he didn't have to experience what he was going through. He could literally hear the bones of his own legs being crushed under the powerful hyena jaws. It made him sick, and he would have thrown up if he had had the energy for it.

Banzai had been quite supportive of punishing Scar, but now that he had been presented with the opportunity, he didn't feel as eager as before. In the end, he turned around and joined Shenzi, who had her back turned on all of them, her head hanging low.

Banzai looked at her and sighed. "You couldn't eat him either, huh?"

"I never intended to... But he had this coming, I tell ya. How dare he betray us, after all we went through..." she told him, looking very upset.

Ed would have probably taken a bite or two, but the more dominant hyenas kept pushing him aside. He finally gave up, and went to join his siblings, looking frustrated.

Scar's voice was not as loud as before, but he was still pleading for mercy and crying for help. At that point, the wind picked up all of a sudden, making the nearby flames raise higher and closer in no time.

Banzai jumped away from the fire just in time, the fur of his tail slightly alight.

"Hey, Shenzi," he said as he put out the fire on his tail by sitting on a small puddle formed by the rain, "the flames are getting way too close. We won't be able to get away if we stay here much longer."

The hyenas looked around, and had to agree. The fire was spreading quite quickly all of a sudden. "Let's take him with us then!" one of them yelled.

"We got no time! My tail's burned already, dammit!" Banzai snarled as he pointed at the singed fur.

"He's learned his lesson all right, he won't be messin' with us hyenas again," Shenzi said, "Banzai's right, we gotta go now. Everyone, we'll gather round by the waterhole near the northern border. We'll then move on together to find another place to stay. Hurry now!"

The hyenas obeyed and retreated, while Shenzi, Banzai and Ed lingered for a short moment. They looked at Scar, with mixed emotions.

"Sorry it had to end this way, pal, but we warned you; we don't have much tolerance for treason. Thanks for the good times, though," Shenzi whispered, and she left, followed by Banzai and Ed, who didn't have anything else to add.

Scar had kept his eyes closed all this time, mostly due to the excruciating pain. He was crying softly, and was vaguely aware that the hyenas had left the scene. He could feel the unbearable heat getting closer, and he groaned, cursing the hyenas for having half-eaten him, only to leave him alive just long enough to experience what it's like to be burned to death.

It was then when he thought he had heard someone calling his name. He tried to scream, but didn't have the strength to yell anymore. "Help..." he moaned softly instead.

Scar heard someone approaching, and then he felt a gentle bite and tug on the back of his head. He was being dragged away from the heat. Scar welcomed the cool rain and the fresh night air with a deep, tired sigh. The lion remained motionless for a moment, until he heard a female voice next to him, screaming out loud, "Why? Why did it have to be this way?"

Scar opened his eyes and felt quite surprised to see his mother standing by his side, crying.

"The hyenas..." he whispered, feeling quite scared.

He saw Karanga look down at him, with deep sadness in her eyes. "They're gone, my dear, don't worry about them. Rest now, I'll keep guard over you."

Scar closed his eyes, nodding gratefully. He wanted to talk to her, to explain why he had done what he did, but he had little energy left to do so.

It was then when he heard Simba's victory roar, as the lion claimed his throne back. Scar closed his eyes tightly and had no other choice but to finally admit defeat. Thembi had been right, he was not meant to be a King. The rain finally falling from the sky, as if it had been waiting for the rightful King to return, felt like someone was rubbing salt on his wounded pride.

Scar tried to lift his head, but the hyenas had caused so much damage to his body, that he was unable to move at all any more. He started to feel uncomfortably cold, and for a moment he even longed for a bit of the warmth of the fire raging nearby. As his body began to shiver, he felt his mother snuggling close to him to try and keep him warm.

"M-mother..." he whispered, "I wish I could... explain..."

"Shh... What's done is done... Try to stay calm now," she told him.

Scar could detect a hint of anger in her voice, but he appreciated her understanding and the fact that she was here with him, despite what he had done.

"My mate... Where's Zira..." he asked, wishing to see his favorite lioness one last time.

"She's not here, she was away hunting."

"Zira... Zira..." Scar tried to call, apparently not having heard Karanga.

Karanga let out a deep sigh. "I'll go see if she's back by any chance... Hold on, be strong," she told him as she stood up and shook off the rain from her pelt.

Scar closed his eyes once more, and for a while, which felt like an eternity to him, there was no other sound around him, except for the heavy rainfall, and a sudden, gentle breeze, that Scar found rather soothing. He took a deep breath, and waited.


	26. The Battle's Aftermath

_Chapter 26_

**The Battle's Aftermath**

Karanga led Zira to where Scar lay, battered and wounded.

"No... Scar..." Zira said, and ran towards him, while Karanga stayed a few paces behind, to give them some privacy.

Scar appeared to be unconscious, but he was still breathing softly.

Zira looked at him, and while she always thought of crying as a sign of weakness, she couldn't help herself and her eyes teared up instantly. There was not much left from the lion she loved; Scar would die for sure and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I'm here, my beloved, I'm here..." she whispered, as she nuzzled his face gently. Scar didn't respond to her signs of affection, but Zira kept on trying. As she nuzzled and licked his face, she noticed that Scar smelled strongly of the hyenas. She inspected his wounds closely, feeling quite revolted, and turned to Karanga.

"Why does it look like it was the hyenas who did this to him?" she asked, as she had first assumed that Simba and the lionesses had left him in that terrible state.

Karanga approached Zira, and explained everything that she had seen and heard. She told her about the battle, about the clan splitting, and about what Scar had done in the past. Zira listened intently, digging her own claws into the ground in anger.

"To be honest, I am not totally sure why the hyenas turned against him in the end," Karanga mused, "After all, they did help him out and were putting up quite a fight against the Pride earlier. My best guess is that since Scar could not fulfill his promise of a better life, they punished him, and fled."

Zira had appeared only mildly shocked when she heard that Scar had orchestrated Mufasa's murder, she actually seemed more upset at the way Simba just waltzed in and stole everything from her.

The lioness let out a deep sigh and nuzzled Scar again. "Please, wake up..." she told him.

Scar reacted to her touch this time, and opened his eyes with difficulty. "Z-Zira... You're here..."

The lioness nodded and lay next to him. "I'm so sorry I wasn't here to help you out... We had gone hunting, and actually brought back an antelope for dinner... It was supposed to be our first decent meal in ages, I was so excited to surprise you..." she said as her voice became choked up.

Scar sighed deeply and looked at her with a sadness in his eyes that Zira hadn't seen before. His expression had softened considerably; it was a look that Karanga knew very well, from his days as a cub.

Karanga heard someone approaching and turned to look over her shoulder. It was Nuka, who had finally caught up and had been looking for his parents. The lion stopped on his tracks, visibly shocked, and unsure whether to approach his father or not, as he stared at the pool of blood surrounding him.

Karanga padded up to the young lion and nuzzled him reassuringly. "Your dad has been hurt quite badly... If you want to say good bye, you will have to do it now, my dear. Be strong, though, his wounds are quite shocking."

Nuka took a deep breath and approached slowly, as he heard his parents speaking in hushed voices.

"My time's up, I know it. It's up to you to raise my heir now..." Scar said with great difficulty, his speech was slurred and weak.

Zira nodded, but hesitated for a moment. "So who have you chosen to follow your pawprints? Is it going to be our weak and sickly Nuka, or is it going to be our adopted cub, Kovu, who's healthy and smart, and probably more capable of leading a Pride?"

Scar looked at her, vaguely aware of how pushy she could be, even in these circumstances. He stared at her as everything around him started fading to black slowly, and the sounds around him became more and more distant. Scar had made his mind up all right; Nuka had made quite a decent progress lately, and Scar still felt no desire to train the son of a rogue as his successor. He wanted to tell all this to Zira, and to stress the fact that he still didn't see Zira's adopted cub as his own son, but all that came out from his mouth was "Kovu... is..."

Scar could not say anything else. His whole body became numb in an instant, the pain disappeared completely, and Zira's face eventually started fading to black too. The former King panicked when he felt the end so near, and he desperately tried to speak, wanting to complete his sentence, but his broken body had finally given up. Scar let out one last, deep breath, and he finally passed away, his face frozen in a terrified expression.

Nuka had heard his father's last words, and he felt as miserable as he hadn't felt before. He must have failed at something, though Scar had been quite positive about his training as of lately. He couldn't understand why his father would choose Kovu after all, and in an instant, all his desire to want to comfort his father and say good bye was lost. He simply sat a few steps away, staring at his parents quietly and experiencing a clash of anger and sadness at the same time.

Zira, just like Nuka did, also misinterpreted Scar's last words, and nodded solemnly. "So it will be, my love. I'll teach Kovu your ways, I'll make a King out of him..."

Zira then took a deep breath and asked Karanga to come over. "He's dead..."

Karanga approached her fallen son and with tears in her eyes, she spoke a soft prayer to the Kings of the Past, begging them to receive him with mercy and to forgive his wrongdoing. The lioness also tried to comfort Zira with a nuzzle, but the former Queen pulled back immediately.

"This isn't over yet," Zira told her, with a mad look in her eyes, "Someone's going to pay for this..."

"It's too late, the hyenas have fled already," Karanga said, thinking she wanted to take revenge on them, but Zira shook her head.

"I'll take things over from here, my beloved," Zira half-snarled over Scar's lifeless body. "I hope that when we meet again, you will be proud of me, and you won't hold against me what I have done to get where I am right now," she added, thinking about what she had done to Ndani, "You and I were much more alike than we could have ever imagined... Had we known... Good bye, my love."

Karanga couldn't make much of Zira's farewell speech, but she had no time to ponder about it. Zira had turned around, running past her and Nuka without a word, and heading towards Pride Rock, with a murderous look on her eyes.

Karanga looked down at Scar one last time, gave him one last lick and nuzzle, and walked away. She saw the shaken Nuka, still sitting on the same spot, and tried to comfort him.

"Let's go, my dear, there's nothing more we can do for him."

Nuka followed her obediently, looking very sad and disappointed. "Rafiki told me once that the Kings of the past get buried near his tree... Will he get buried there too then?" he asked.

Karanga shook her head. "I'm afraid he won't be given that privilege. Your father did something very wrong, you see, he took the throne by force, while it was not rightfully his. The lionesses won't recognize him as their former King, not after what he did to become one."

Karanga eyed the young lion, thinking that his troubled expression had to do with his father's death. Karanga had not caught the last words of Scar's conversation with Zira, so she was not aware that Nuka had been denied what he considered his right.

Nuka was about to ask more about what Scar had done to get the throne by force, but just then they heard Zira and Simba in a heated discussion. They both hurried to Pride Rock to see what the commotion was all about.

* * *

><p>Simba was still busy answering the lionesses' questions concerning the time he had been away, when all of a sudden, Zira appeared behind them.<p>

"Isn't this nice and cozy," she snarled.

Simba frowned and looked over his shoulder. He softened his expression when he saw it was Scar's former mate. Simba was willing to be kind and supportive towards her, as he knew she must be going through a very difficult time. He also thought Zira would be devastated to find out Scar's huge secret, but the lioness appeared more angry than sad.

"King Scar just passed away, after being driven away from his land by you, and half-eaten by the hyenas while he was still alive," she announced, "Of course none of you would want to go and pay your respects, I suppose you're all quite happy and celebrating now, right?"

Sarabi stood up and walked to her. "Let it go, Zira. I will not go pay my respects to the one who murdered my mate. I speak for the rest of the lionesses too when I say that we all feel Scar does not deserve our pity. We know he meant a lot to you, for some reason, but his reign is over now. You will have to accept that the Pride Lands have a new King. The rightful King."

Just at that moment, Njano and Kahawia arrived at the scene; they had not been able to walk fast enough while dragging the antelope they caught, and missed everything that had happened at Pride Rock. They had made their way up to the cave in search for Zira, and were confused when they heard Zira and Sarabi's exchange.

"Huh? What the hell? Did I just hear you say Scar's dead?" Njano asked Zira, but stopped on her tracks when she saw Simba standing there.

Kahawia and Njano immediately bared their teeth at Simba, not trusting this stranger at all.

Zira rejoined her two Pride-Mates and told them, "I'm afraid it's true, Njano. They all turned against him; this lion here, his lionesses, even the hyenas attacked him," Zira said.

Simba stepped forward, annoyed by Zira's attitude. "Why don't you tell them why?"

Zira also stepped forward and looked Simba in the eye defiantly. "Why bother, no one will ever understand what it is like to be in the situation he was. He was braver than you all think. It takes guts to face the injustice forced upon him and to actually do something about it!"

Simba growled deeply for a moment. "It almost sounds as if you condone the fact that he killed my father and tried to kill me. I can understand that you were Scar's mate and that you are having a hard time coping with his death, but I will not accept that you belittle my father's murder."

All the Pride-Landers, except Karanga, stood behind Simba and nodded supportively, while the Outlanders growled back, showing little fear.

Simba eyed the three Outlanders critically. "I've been told that Scar invited you all to stay, and I hadn't even considered the idea of kicking you out. But your attitude towards murder, for whatever reason, makes me very uneasy. I am giving you a chance; you are welcome to stay, but I don't want to hear from you, ever again, that killing my father was justified, in any way."

Njano and Kahawia looked at each other, not sure about what was exactly going on. They huddled together with Zira and had a quick, hushed discussion, while Simba awaited their decision.

"What is that lion going on about? Did Scar try to kill someone or something?" Kahawia whispered.

"Scar killed his brother to get to the throne," Zira quickly explained, "This guy here's his nephew, who had ran away, but all of a sudden came back thinking he's the still the rightful King despite having forfeit the throne. Scar's dead now because of him."

"Whoa, whoa... Go back for a sec... Scar killed his own brother? That's messed up, Zira!"

Zira frowned. "He did what he had to do. You don't know him like I did, so you won't understand. So please do me a favour and just focus on the issue here right now: are we going to let this guy dictate what we do? Do you see yourselves hunting for him? Do you see yourself bearing his cubs, Njano? How about you, Kahawia? Are you ready to give up on your two little girls, to see them die at his paws?"

The two lionesses looked at her, hesitating.

"We've survived without a male before, we can do it again," Njano conceded softly.

"Jasiri and Malaika are old enough and fast enough to run away from him; they'll be fine. It's Ndani's cubs I'm worried about..." Kahawia added.

"_My_ cubs will be safe," Zira whispered back, looking sour, "I'll make sure of that. Scar chose Kovu as his successor before he died, and I intend to raise him as such."

"Well?" Simba told them, "What will it be? Are you willing to move on, so that we can all live together in peace, as one Pride?"

Zira frowned deeply and looked at Simba, angrier than she had been before. "My mate has only been dead for minutes! Don't you dare tell me to move on, you pathetic rogue!"

There was an uproar from the Pride-Landers. "Don't talk to him like that! He's your new King, and you will respect him!" Sarabi snarled.

"I serve and respect no King but Scar!" Zira said, ready to slap Sarabi on the face, but Simba stood between them.

The lion would have considered letting Njano and Kahawia stay, but they were standing by Zira's side with a determined look on their faces, clearly supporting their leader on this.

"You just lost the chance I'd given you," Simba told them, trying to assert his dominance over Zira, who looked as if she was ready to pounce on his throat. "I want you three to leave this land, _right now_. I don't want to see you in my father's territory, which is now my own, ever again. If you trespass, we will defend this territory fiercely, so considered yourselves warned."

For a short moment, Zira considered launching an attack on him, but all his lionesses were ready for combat, and Zira finally understood it would be a very foolish thing to do. They were heavily outnumbered; Zira would need a bigger team of fighters to stand a chance against the Pride-Landers.

"What are you waiting for?" Huria snarled, "Get the hell out of here, back to where you came from, Outlander scum!"

Timon and Pumbaa laughed loudly, in approval of Huria's retort, but Simba asked them all to keep quiet. This was no joking matter to him.

At that point, Mahali and Sarafina returned from the Three Rocks, carrying Kovu and Vitani in their muzzle, and followed by the rest of the cubs. Nyota and Maua headed straight for Anasa and Mahali, glad to see that their mothers were doing fine, while Jasiri and Malaika ran to Kahawia, looking at Simba with scared expressions.

The lionesses deposited Kovu and Vitani by Zira's feet and went to rejoin their Pride, wondering why there was so much tension in the air and why Simba looked so angry.

"Seems like you have your cubs back, and your group is complete. You can all leave now," Simba insisted, paying little attention to their cubs, and feeling a bit more self-confident, knowing that the whole Pride was backing him up.

Zira gave him a defying look as she said, "Fine, but this is not the last you've heard from me."

The lioness then turned to Nuka, who was still standing quietly by Karanga's side. "You! Get over here and pick up your sister. Let's go!"

Nuka stayed put. "Are you sure about that? Perhaps I am too _weak_ and _sickly _for the task."

Zira frowned, realizing that Nuka had been witness of her last conversation with Scar, but she dismissed it for now. "Don't make me come and get you, Nuka," Zira said with a menacing tone of voice.

Simba raised an eyebrow and he slowly walked towards Nuka, with the intention to take a better look at this young lion that apparently wasn't too keen to leave. However, Nuka's striking resemblance to Scar shocked Simba slightly, and he unconsciously bared his teeth at him for a short moment. That was enough to intimidate the smaller, weaker lion, and Nuka quickly slunk towards Zira, looking rather submissive all of a sudden.

Karanga sadly watched her grandson leave, sighing deeply and whispering, "Take care..."

Nuka looked back at her and mouthed "Good bye..."

Zira also looked in Karanga's direction, pondering for a moment. "What will _you _do? Do you want to join us, who genuinely cared for your son, and who are actually devastated about his death?" she asked her, recognizing in Karanga a valuable asset to have in her own Pride.

There was a collective gasp from the Pride-Landers, and they all stared at Karanga, as they held their breaths in anticipation.

Karanga glanced at the two Prides, once again forced to choose between sides, only this time, she knew clearly what she wanted to do.

She walked to Zira and told her sincerely, "I'm staying here, with my daughters, Zira. But I want to thank you, for your love and devotion to my son, in good times and in bad. I'd never seen him any happier than when he was by your side. I only wish that you had come earlier into his life. Who knows what might have happened then..."

Zira nodded curtly, keeping a straight face so as not to show any sign of weakness in front of what she now considered her enemies.

"Fine, whatever, suit yourself," she replied and turned around. She picked Kovu in her mouth, and headed towards the Outlands, without as much as a glance back.

Nuka picked up Vitani and followed Zira and Njano, while Kahawia and her cubs lagged behind for a short moment, looking at the Pride-Landers with mixed emotions. While they hadn't become the best of friends, they at least got along well and had shared several conversations by the shade of the acacias while cub-sitting. She had to admit that she felt quite sad to have to part ways in such manner.

"Zira's never been really good when it comes to kind words, so... On behalf of the three of us, thanks for your hospitality and for letting us stay for quite a while," Kahawia told lionesses sincerely, "Good luck with your new leader."

The Pride-Landers nodded, while Anasa and Mahali wished her good luck too.

Jasiri and Malaika also said farewell to Maua and Nyota, and finally followed their mother, who headed in the direction Zira had taken.

For a moment no one said anything, but it was Maua who eventually broke the silence. "Who's this lion, mom? Will he hurt us? Karanga said he'd hurt us real bad," she whispered.

"No, dear," Mahali replied, "Karanga thought Simba was a rogue lion, but he's actually part of the family, and he won't hurt you, he's promised."

Simba smiled at the two young lionesses, and then address his Pride. "I heard from Nala that you all had decided that the best was to try to find another territory, in search for food. Looking around at this place, I have to agree with you... Shall we rest here tonight, and start the journey tomorrow?"

Sarabi and Huria, who had been at one point the most keen to leave this place, both shook their heads. The lionesses stared at them, confused.

"With the hyenas gone, I am sure we can find enough rodents to eat and keep us going until the grass grows again. The rains are here, already so it's only a matter of days for the grass to start growing and for the herds to return. If Zazu can help us spread the word that the hyenas are gone, I am sure things will improve soon," Sarabi said.

"Not only that, but there's several dead hyenas lying around nearby... With the alliance over, it doesn't matter anymore if we eat a hyena or not. Besides, it's good meat that will only go to waste, if we don't eat it," Huria added, while the Pride nodded in agreement after pondering for a moment.

"So, what do you say, shall we wait a bit longer and see what the rains bring?" Sarabi asked.

The lionesses decided to give it a try, glad to be able to stay home, now under Simba's reign.

"Let's go to the cave, and get some well deserved rest," Nala said, and the Pride followed her, except Karanga, who remained glued to her spot.

"Are you coming, mom?" Tahlili called, but Karanga shook her head.

"I'll see if I can take Scar to one of our favorite places where we used to go to when he was a cub. I think it would be a good resting place for his remains..."

Tahlili and Shada looked at each other, and they both nodded silently, in agreement.

"We'll go with you, mom. You don't have to do this alone," Shada told Karanga, nuzzling her gently.

Both lionesses had expected Karanga to refuse their company and were prepared to insist, but Karanga smiled at them and nodded appreciatively, for a change.

The three of them headed towards where Scar had passed away, but to Karanga's shock, his body was no longer where she had left him.

As they examined the ground carefully, Karanga could see a trail of blood on the ground, as if someone had dragged his body away. The trail lead towards the Outlands.

"I've picked up Zira's scent, mom," Tahlili said suddenly.

"Yes... I've also picked up Njano and Kahawia's scent too. One of them's dragging an antelope around. They were here, just a moment ago..." Shada added.

Karanga let out a deep sigh. "I should have known that Zira wouldn't leave him behind, just like that. I suppose she will find a good resting place for him. Perhaps it's better than the one I had in mind," she said, smiling fondly to herself.

"Shall we head back to the cave, then?" Shada asked her.

For a moment, Karanga simply looked at the empty spot on the ground, where Scar had lain. She eventually closed her eyes and nodded. "Yes, let's do that. I hadn't noticed how exhausted I am until now..."

Karanga and her daughters returned to their lair, where the Pride, content to be able to sleep inside their shelter again, was settling down to sleep. Simba, however, was still looking around and reminiscing.

"It's weird, the cave looks quite smaller than I remembered it..." he whispered.

Sarabi smiled at him. "It makes sense, you were a lot smaller back then..."

The lioness was dying to catch up with her son, but when she saw Simba yawning and looking tired, she decided to let him sleep first. There would be plenty of time to talk to him the day after.

"Rest well, my son," she told him, and licked Simba's cheek lovingly. Sarabi then went to join the other lionesses, who were still looking at Simba with admiration, hoping that he would be able to restore the balance in the Pride Lands.

Simba in the meantime paced around the cave, unsure as to where to lie down. He looked at the royal plateau hesitantly. The last time he saw it, Mufasa had been sleeping on it. He was having problems getting used to the idea that the plateau belonged to him now, and Nala, who was sitting nearby, picked up on it.

She stood up and walked to Simba, whispering, "Go ahead. That's the spot reserved for the King and his Queen. I am sure your Father will not mind at all, on the contrary. He must be smiling proudly right now."

Simba gave her a tiny smile, and lay down on the plateau, sighing deeply.

Nala bent down and gave him a lick on his cheek. "Good night..." she said, and walked away from him.

Simba looked up and frowned slightly. "Hey..."

Nala turned to look over his shoulder, as Simba motioned her to come closer.

The lioness paced back to Simba, her heartbeat rising quickly. "Yes?"

"I thought you said this spot was also reserved for the Queen?" he whispered.

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Nala then looked around, to make sure they were not being overheard, and whispered in return, "Are you sure it's me you want? I mean, there's a lot more lionesses for you to choose from now... Maybe you were just into me because I was in season... Think about it."

"This goes beyond you being in season, Nala... I really meant what I said back there in the jungle. We had not seen each other in years and yet it felt like we only parted ways yesterday. I can't stop thinking about you and I'm just dying to be by your side... Besides, you and I know that right now I can't rule this place on my own; I need all the help I can get. Will you please be my Queen, and help me rule over this land?"

Nala perked her ears and gave him a warm smile. "I'd love to be your Queen, but I hate to prove Zazu right."

"Quite the conundrum..." Simba grinned, as he shuffled sideways to make room for her on the plateau.

"I can't lie there yet, you need to make the formal announcement first..."

Simba eyed the lionesses of the Pride. "Look at them, they are so happy, do you think they will really mind you lying next to me?"

Nala looked around, and admitted that they would probably not mind at all.

"I'll announce it tomorrow, I promise. For now let's get some sleep..."

Nala took a deep breath and lay down on the royal plateau, next to him.

Simba wrapped his paw around her, gave her a tender lick on her cheek, and lay down to rest.

Nala glanced nervously at the Pride; it was clear to everyone now that despite not having seen each other in years, Simba and Nala had grown close during her period of absence.

Some of the lionesses were looking in Nala's direction with wide eyes, surprised to see her lying with Simba. But Nala's uneasiness was dispelled when the lionesses gave her a wide grin in return. She was sure that Huria was mouthing something that looked like _way to go_, while Anasa and Sita whispered amongst themselves, looking excited.

Nala glanced at her mother, who was also looking at her proudly. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Sarafina bowing to her, acknowledging her as Queen of the Pride. Nala simply smiled quietly in return, and then snuggled closer to Simba, feeling more reassured.

Sarafina then went back to lie down next to Mahali, and they groomed each other to sleep.

Karanga couldn't help but smile at the new couple, but she still looked quite depressed. She couldn't think straight and was having problems falling asleep, despite feeling so tired.

Shada noticed, and she tried to comfort Karanga by grooming the wound on her shoulder, to keep it clean. She then snuggled by her mother, hoping that she wouldn't feel lonely.

Eventually, the Pride, including Karanga, managed to fall asleep. It had been quite a strenuous day, and fatigue had finally caught up with all of them. They slept soundly, looking forward to a new beginning.

Karanga in particular seemed to be dreaming, as she kept jerking and moving her paws in her sleep. She was dreaming of her best friend Kitok. They were both pouncing on each other playfully, Karanga feeling extremely glad to see her again. Kitok was very reassuring and kept telling her not to be sad any more, and to stop worrying.

"I'll watch over Hatari now," Kitok said, "I am really glad that you took care of him, despite everything that happened. I can't thank you enough... Now, rest well, my dear friend, and you will feel a lot better in the morning, you'll see. I'm looking forward to seeing you again, but not any time soon! Good bye for now..."

Kitok walked away and faded into thin air, while Karanga stayed behind, feeling much calmer than before. Dreaming of Kitok always had that effect on her.

Karanga's tear-stained face eventually contorted into a grin, as she smiled warmly in her sleep.


	27. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Scar was surrounded by darkness, and he could not see Zira anymore, nor hear her voice. For a moment he thought his eyes were closed and forced himself to open them, only to realize that they were wide open already. The darkness was simply impenetrable.

He knew he was dead, that was certain. He just was not sure what to expect now. Hesitantly he held up a paw and tried to take a step. It was a weird sensation, as if he was attempting to walk into water, but his paw didn't sink under his weight. He took a few steps and looked around, feeling rather uneasy.

Scar sat down on his haunches and looked down at his own body. The lion realized with satisfaction that the wounds inflicted by the hyenas were no longer there. All his limbs were present, and there was no more pain.

"So what happens now..." he wondered, while experiencing a strong feeling that he was being watched. He tried sniffing the air around him out of habit, but he picked up no scents at all.

"Is there anybody out there?" Scar called out loud.

For a moment nothing happened, but suddenly, a very young lioness appeared in front of him, as if materializing out of thin air in the blink of an eye.

"Hello," she said warmly.

Scar jumped slightly, startled by her sudden presence. He looked at her intently, but he didn't recognize her. "Who are you?" he asked.

The lioness sat down in front of him. "I don't have a name, but the lions around here have nicknamed me Kidege. You can call me that, too."

"Kidege? _Little bird_? Why is that?"

"Because I'm always jumping around, the higher, the better. They say it's only a matter of time until I sprout wings and fly!" she replied, laughing brightly.

Scar sighed deeply. There was a calming innocence around this lioness that made him feel at ease. "Where are we anyway?" he asked her, as he looked around.

"We call this place The Darkness; three guesses as to why it's called that way," she chuckled, "Anyway, this is the place where you will have the chance to concentrate and think about your life, and come to terms with the things you did or didn't do while you were alive."

Scar frowned slightly. "What if I don't want to think about that?"

Kidege smiled. "You can leave the Darkness whenever you want, it's up to you. But what I've seen is that most lions only leave whenever they feel confident enough to face those who have passed away earlier than them, especially if tragic events occurred during their lives. Do you think you are ready for that? Can you already face those you hurt, and those who caused you harm?"

Scar's expression became slightly fearful, when he thought about meeting Thembi and Mufasa again. "Oh... I see what you mean... I suppose not."

"While not all lions pass through here, in your case I think it's pretty obvious that you might need some time for yourself, to reflect on your life."

Scar looked at her, wondering how much she knew about what happened in the past, but Kidege seemed to be reading his thoughts, as she simply added, "We already know everything, so you don't need to lie or hide what you've done. All you need to do is gather the courage to face them and move on. It's not easy, I know, but you'll have to do it at some point."

Scar stared at his own paws, feeling extreme shame as his whole life, fears and motivations appeared to have been exposed now. "You said it was up to me to decide to leave this Darkness. What if I decide to stay here forever?"

Kidege shook her head. "No one has stayed here forever. It might take some longer than others, but in the end everyone moves on, once they manage to leave their fears behind."

Scar looked at her. "Is this your task around here? To come and welcome the lions that have screwed up big time, and guide them to the light, so to speak?"

Kidege let out a friendly laugh. "No, not at all! It's the first time I do this, actually... I am here because they figured you'd be more comfortable talking to me than to anyone else. After all, we had no time to interact, so there's no tension between us."

Scar looked at her intently. "You mean we've actually met before? Why can't I remember you at all?"

"You never saw me," Kidege said, "Rafiki took care of burying my body right after I was born."

Scar's eyes opened wide in surprise. It was until then that he noticed Kidege's resemblance to Zira and to himself.

"But you look so healthy... And grown up... Does one actually keep aging around here?"

"We're as old as we want to be," Kidege replied, "You'll see it for yourself, once you leave the Darkness."

Scar looked at his daughter, looking confused. "I never saw my biological mother either; why didn't she come to meet me instead? I suppose that it's because she's terribly upset about what I did?"

Kidege shook her head. "Actually, she's trying to help your father. Thembi returned to hide in the Darkness the moment you passed away. Believe it or not, he is a bit terrified of having to confront you, and face what he did to you in the past. Kitok has managed to bring him to the Light again, but she has stayed by his side to reassure him."

Scar blinked a couple of times, and wondered why he didn't feel content at hearing this. If he were still alive, he would have roared victoriously in celebration, knowing Thembi was having such a hard time, but it was different now. The rage was gone, leaving only guilt behind.

"This is where I'd leave you to your thoughts, but..." Kidege said, biting her lip hesitantly, "Could I persuade you to come with me instead? There's someone who needs your help."

"What? Who?"

"I can't tell you, you need to come with me and see for yourself," she replied, hoping to get him motivated to move on and face his family.

Scar looked quite doubtful, and Kidege comforted him with a quick nuzzle. "I see you're not ready yet. Don't worry. Just think about it, take your time, and call me when you want to leave."

Scar nodded, and the lioness disappeared as fast as she had come.

The lion spent quite a while thinking about his life, about the wrong decisions he had made, decisions which had felt so right at the time. He now saw things from a different perspective, and admitted to himself that he could have done a lot better, if he had only listened to the advice of his Pride, and accepted Karanga and Rafiki's guidance in ruling the Kingdom.

It was not only Thembi's fault that he had not learned anything about the balance of the Circle of Life. Scar knew now that he was at fault too, for not having listened to his peers. Despite the way he took over the throne, he could still have ruled the Pride Lands successfully and proved Thembi wrong, but in the end it all came down to his own decisions, which led to his failure as King.

Scar lost track of how long he had been sitting there, on his own. But eventually, curiosity got a hold of him, and he decided to call Kidege back and see what his father had to say about what happened during his cubhood, and find out who could possibly need his help around here.

"Kidege?" he called.

"Yes?" the lioness replied, looking intently at him, just as if she had been sitting right next to him all this time.

"I think I'm ready to face them now. But... I... I could come back here, if things get weird, right?"

Kidege gave him a wide smile. "You can, but I promise you, you won't have to hide from them. Come with me..."

Scar followed his daughter, feeling rather nervous, and gradually the darkness faded around him. He could spot several outlines of lions standing and walking around him, but they were still too hazy to be recognized. Little by little the shapes became more distinct, and he recognized Mufasa and Thembi, as they sat next to each other, looking healthy and strong. A beautiful lioness sat by their side.

"Mother?" Scar said, looking into her eyes, which were indeed, just as green as his own.

Kitok nodded and smiled warmly at him.

Scar turned to his father and brother, expecting a stern frown or a judgmental expression, but he saw neither. All he saw were two lions simply looking back at him calmly.

Kitok and Kidege walked away, leaving the three lions alone for a while.

Scar looked down at the ground nervously and stared at Mufasa's paws for a moment, not being able to make eye contact with him, feeling quite ashamed. He noticed that there was no trace of the wound caused by his own claws the day he threw Mufasa down the gorge.

It was Thembi who finally broke the ice between them. "I wasn't sure about facing you again. It took me forever, but I have finally realized how wrong I was. I tried to prepare myself as best as I could for this moment, but I just can't find the right words to express how I feel..."

Scar looked at Thembi. "Are you actually saying you're sorry for making my life miserable?"

Scar expected him to flare up, but Thembi simply nodded. "_Sorry_ doesn't even begin to cover it, son. If I could turn back time and take back everything I did and said, believe me, I would."

Scar appeared quite startled by his attitude, and the fact that he actually called him his son. While regretful, Scar had been prepared to be questioned and scolded, and he had been ready to defend the decisions that he thought were right back when he was still alive, but Scar was at a loss of words for a moment.

He turned to Mufasa, whose expression was a bit hard to read. "Surely you must still hate me..." Scar said eventually.

Mufasa shook his head. "I was quite angry and disappointed, but I never hated you. We all made a lot of mistakes back then, I realize that now. I spent quite a while wishing I had paid more attention to you as a cub. I know I spent most of my time with the lionesses and perhaps if I had been more attentive, I could have made a difference."

"So you don't hold it against me, then? What I did was totally justified, right?"

Mufasa tilted his head, looking serious. "I wouldn't put it like that, brother. While father and I admit we messed up, you still were the one who decided which path to follow in the end. No one forced you to go through with your plans. You had the power to shape your own future at that point, regardless of what Father and I had done or not done in the past."

Scar looked away, knowing they were right. "It's just... It all made so much sense back then..."

"We know," Thembi replied, "it's only now that we can look back at our actions, that we can see how different things could have been."

"So what happens now?" Scar asked coldly, "Is this the part where I have to beg for your forgiveness?"

Thembi and Mufasa looked at each other with a small grin. "We've forgiven you already. We know what made you act the way you did, and we can understand that now. The question is, can _you_ forgive us, and can you forgive _yourself?_" Thembi asked.

Scar frowned, looking confused. "I'm sorry, but I can't believe you when you say you're over it, just like that."

"It wasn't _just like that_," Mufasa replied, "Father and I actually spent a lot of time in the Darkness, brooding about it. But once we were comfortable in leaving the pain and resentment behind, those feelings stayed within the confines of the Darkness, and they no longer affect us the way they did before."

"This makes no sense," Scar said, "I thought I'd be punished for my actions, I thought I'd have to beg or humiliate myself..."

Thembi sighed deeply. "You won't be punished here, son, not in the way you thought you would. There is no trial in front of the Kings of the Past, and there is no judgment day. Your real punishment will occur when you look down at the ones you've left behind and see the consequences of your actions."

Scar looked into Thembi's eyes. "So you saw everything I did?"

Thembi shook his head. "We didn't follow every one of your footsteps, but Karanga kept praying for your guidance, so Mufasa and I kept an eye on you often. I wish I could have done more to help, but part of my punishment for my own actions was that my father's spirit would not allow me to make contact with you or anyone else in the living world.

Scar listened to him intently, feeling, once again, quite embarrassed and exposed.

"Trust me, I tried, several times," Thembi went on, "but it never worked out. I came very close once, when I was able to make contact with you in your dreams. Unfortunately, the only way I could freely contact you without my Father meddling, was by hiding in the Darkness. I was not aware that my resentment could easily take a hold of me again while I was in there, and my visit to you in your dream became as nasty as I ever was to you when I lived. I didn't risk that method of communication again after that incident."

Scar's eyes opened wide. He recalled that dream very well, as well as Thembi's apology right at the end, before Ndani woke him up. He remained silent for a while, as his father's words sank in.

Scar then turned to Mufasa and whispered, "If you could also see me and my actions, then you certainly knew that your son was alive. Didn't you ever try to warn anyone?

Mufasa shook his head. "It was too risky. Rafiki eventually figured it out on his own, when the time was right. All I did was ask him not to tell anyone, so as not to put Simba and the Pride in danger."

Scar looked very thoughtful, as everything started to make more sense now. He know understood why Rafiki had been so distant with him and the hyenas all of a sudden, and why the baboon never alerted the lionesses about what he had seen in his shell.

Scar sighed and muttered, "I guess everything worked out the way you thought it would in the end. The timing was perfect, you couldn't have planned it better. If Simba had come back one day later or earlier, the hyena patrol would have ambushed him for sure..."

Mufasa and Thembi looked at Scar without saying anything. They had already come to terms with the situation, now it was Scar's turn.

"Tell me one thing..." Scar asked after a short moment of silence, "What is the purpose of dying, if we're all to meet here again, and just carry on, kind of like when we were still alive?"

Thembi gave him a kind smile. It was very strange for Scar to see his father looking at him like that.

"We don't stay here for eternity, son. Once you are free of worries and guilt, and your mind and soul are at complete and total ease, then you will finally become a star, and the journey is finally over."

Scar looked around for a moment. "Why is it so crowded here then? Do all these lions still have issues to solve?"

"Some do, while others are simply waiting for a relative or mate to join them."

"How about you? Now that you've had a chance to talk things over with me, and you are finally by Kitok's side... Are you moving on?"

Thembi shook his head. "We're not done yet, son. You haven't forgiven me yet, and I know there's still a lot of questions in your mind that I will need to answer eventually. Besides, I am also waiting for Karanga. I caused her so much grief and pain, so I owe her an apology too."

Scar swallowed. Deep inside, he knew Thembi was right, he hadn't forgiven his father yet. But just as Mufasa had said, in time he might be able to. After all, there was time enough in here to think things over, now that he didn't have to worry about hunger and hunting, or trying to keep the Pride and the hyenas content.

Scar was still very thoughtful, but Kidege and Kitok returned at that point and walked to him, distracting him for a moment.

"Hatari, now that you've had a chance to speak to them, will you please come with us?" Kitok asked.

Scar grinned slightly. "That's not my name anymore, you know..."

Kitok smiled at him and pointed at the ground with her paw. There was a small pool of water that Scar was sure it had not been there at all earlier.

Scar came closer to inspect it further, and saw his own reflection for the first time since he passed away. While his built was still lanky, he looked healthy and well fed, but what shocked him the most was to see that the scar over his left eye had disappeared, just as the wounds from the hyenas had done.

"You can make the mark come back if you so desire, but I thought you'd be happy to know that here you have the potential to make Scar go away, and bring my sweet Hatari back."

Scar held up a paw and touched his face, still staring at his own reflection for a moment. The scar on his eye slowly reappeared, causing him to look away quickly. He didn't know what to say, it was all happening so fast that he felt rather overwhelmed. Scar finally looked at the lionesses and asked them, while changing the topic of the conversation, "You wanted me to come with you somewhere?"

Kidege and Kitok nodded, not making any comments on the reappearance of Scar's mark.

"I know we have a lot to catch up on, son," Kitok said, "But right now there's someone who needs your help."

Scar nodded and followed the two lionesses, feeling very curious. As he walked, another question popped up in his mind.

"Say... Are there only lions around here?"

Kidege shook her head. "No. Actually, your old hyena friend Akili has quite a big bone to pick with you too," she said, smiling slightly. "Don't worry, she's not _too_ mad. Her mate Mnanuka also wants to meet you..."

Scar swallowed with some difficulty, as he certainly would have a lot of explaining to do to the former matriarch of the clan.

"We're here," Kitok said, attracting the attention of another lioness, who was looking in the opposite direction.

The lioness looked over her shoulder and gave them all a sad smile. She couldn't help but gasp when she saw Scar and whispered, "My... Have you grown since the last time I saw you..."

Scar looked at her and whispered, "Dalasini... You were the one who saved me and my brother from starvation..."

Dalasini nodded, and walked to him with a pleading expression. "This time it is I who needs to ask you a favour, my dear,"

Scar nodded. "Sure, I'll do my best..." he muttered, not sure what this lioness would actually need from him.

"Come with me... Don't be afraid," Dalasini told him.

Scar raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder, but Kidege and Kitok had stayed behind, wishing him good luck.

The lion finally saw what appeared to be a lioness in the distance, pacing here and there without any particular direction. As they got closer, Scar could see that the lioness' eyes were completely black, as if she had no eyeballs at all. He was so startled by the creepy sight, that he had failed to recognize her for an instant. But after he got over his initial shock, he realized who she was.

"Ndani..." he said. At the sound of his voice, the lioness looked up with a start and appeared to be searching for the source of the sound. She then started roaming aimlessly again, looking lost and miserable.

"My youngest daughter is still trapped in the Darkness, too worried about the ones she left behind, and she's refused to come out ever since she died. We were hoping, since you meant a lot to her, that perhaps you could convince her to move on..."

"Just like Kidege did with me?" Scar asked, feeling a bit nervous.

Dalasini nodded. "Exactly... Only, I have to warn you... You will need to go back into the Darkness, where you will be able to look at the ones you left behind. It could be painful. But we will be here to guide you as soon as you decide to leave. Hopefully Ndani will be willing to join you... Just call our names, okay?"

Scar nodded, wondering what could be so painful about looking down on his former Pride. "I'm ready," he said.

"Good luck, and be strong," Dalasini said, and with those words, everything around Scar faded back into the Darkness he had experienced before, only this time, he could see Ndani clearly.

It appeared that she hadn't seen him yet, as sometimes she would stare straight past him without acknowledging his presence.

Scar swallowed and whispered, "Ndani... Can you hear me?"

The lioness stopped again and looked around. "Yes... Yes, I can, please, reveal yourself!"

Scar wasn't sure how to do that, but it appeared as if merely thinking about wanting to be visible to her did the trick. Ndani looked at him and her expression brightened up, despite her eyes still being completely empty, devoid of any color, matching the darkness around her.

Ndani walked up to him and nuzzled him under his chin. "I thought I didn't care for you at all anymore, but I've missed you so much... I was wondering if you'd come to see me at all..."

Scar returned the nuzzle and looked at her. "How about you... You know about everything I've done... Aren't you angry at me?"

"I was in the beginning, but I understand better now. Not that I agree with what you did, though..." she replied, but her expression didn't convey any anger, she seemed quite content to see him again.

"Why are you still here anyway? Your mother is waiting for you on the other side. Mufasa, my father and mother, they're all out there."

Ndani looked away. "I can't... I want to keep an eye on my cubs..."

Scar raised an eyebrow. "You gave them to Zira, before you took your own life, Ndani... Why are you so worried about them now?"

Ndani lay down on her belly, and appeared to be looking down at something. "That's not what happened... Come, I will show you..."

Scar lay down next to her, and feeling a bit silly, he also peered down at the Darkness, but instead of the void around him, he could clearly see, as if he were an invisible spectator in a flashback from Ndani's mind, how Zira fought with Ndani over her cubs, and how in the end Zira had pushed Ndani down the gorge and took the cubs by force.

"Ndani... I am so sorry, I really had no idea..." Scar said, feeling shocked and enraged all of a sudden, understanding in a very painful way how Mufasa and Thembi must have felt, when he murdered his own brother in a similar manner and for similar reasons.

"It doesn't matter now, what matters is what's happening now..." Ndani told him and urged him to look down again.

Scar peered down, and he saw Zira and her pride-mates, exiled from Pride Rock, back in the Outlands, trying hard to keep the stolen cubs alive. But the biggest shock came when he heard Zira speak of revenge towards the Pride-Landers, and training Kovu, as the heir to his throne, to do so. Scar could see how Nuka looked away sadly, shedding a couple of tears, once his mother was not looking. Scar could feel Nuka's resentment towards him quite clearly, almost as if he was experiencing it himself. Scar wished he could tell the young lion that it had all been a huge misunderstanding.

And so began Scar's real punishment. He now understood what Thembi had meant by having to face the consequences of what he had done in the past, and why Dalasini had warned him before coming back into the Darkness.

Scar concentrated his thoughts on his former Pride, and was able to see them, looking very optimistic under their new King's reign. But he was immediately swamped by a feeling of being hated and despised. Scar could clearly feel Simba and the lionesses' anger. He would certainly be remembered, but for all the wrong reasons, and as the lousiest King the Pride Lands has ever had. Scar was then overwhelmed by extreme sadness, as he saw Karanga taking one of her usual walks, all by herself, trying to deal with the sorrow he had caused her.

He then thought about Shenzi, and was able to see her and the now much smaller clan, looking tired and hungry. They were still searching for a better place to settle down. Scar experienced then an intense bitterness, and a feeling of exhaustion. He could tell that Shenzi had not slept well lately, mainly because she was afraid of being killed in her sleep by one of the discontent hyenas, who kept challenging her position as matriarch. But she was also having recurring nightmares, involving Scar's own death, which kept her awake.

The lion could not find any consolation in this. On the contrary, he could only experience Shenzi's fear and paranoia as if it was his own, and it became so unbearable at some point, that he even had to look away.

He closed his eyes tightly, and the Darkness engulfed him once more.

For a moment, Scar felt extremely afraid and in denial. He didn't want to see or feel anything anymore. He considered yelling for Dalasini to get him out, but Ndani begged him to stay with her, so that they could watch over Nuka, Vitani and Kovu together.

Scar was very hesitant, but many times he had wished he could have spent more time with Ndani before she died, so he felt he owed it to her. Scar eventually accepted to keep her company, and lay down closer to her, as they both peered down again, apprehensively.

In the meantime, Thembi and Mufasa had joined Dalasini, Kitok and Kidege. They watched in silence how Ndani and Scar sat together. Scar's eyes had also become as empty as the Darkness itself, a sign that he would not be coming out any time soon.

"Oh, no..." Dalasini whispered. She had hoped that Ndani would follow Scar, and not the other way around.

"We knew this could happen, Dala. They still need more time to sort out their guilts and fears. Be patient, you'll see that they will come out of this, together," Kitok said, nuzzling Dalasini reassuringly.

Mufasa nodded in agreement. "I have the feeling that this is where his scar, and everything it represents, will fade away, and we'll get Hatari back..."

"I think so too," Thembi whispered, "And we'll be here, waiting for him."

The lions turned and walked away, leaving Scar and Ndani alone, to deal with their unfinished business.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's note:<strong>

So this was it, my version of what occurred during Scar's reign. Not a happy ending for Scar, at least for now. But I believe once he reaches the level of inner peace that Mufasa and Thembi have reached, he will be a lot happier. It might take him some time, but he'll get there eventually, and he'll probably be ready to welcome Nuka and Zira and help them along, when their turn comes. ;)

I hope you enjoyed my version of events. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions I can take into account for future stories. I already have a couple more ideas in mind, focusing on the lionesses, and Timon and Pumbaa. They won't be as extensive as this massive fic, but if you liked my style of writing, then stay tuned for some short stories! ;)

I also want to thank everyone who read the fic and took the time to drop me a review. I appreciate all the feedback and comments I received, and I always looked forward to hear what you had to say about the new chapters! Your comments always made my day.

Asante Sana, and till the next fic,

Niche Eenhoorn


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